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FBI: Upcoming U.S. general election fuel multiple fraud schemes. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning of multiple schemes taking advantage of the upcoming U.S. general election to scam people out of their money or personal data. The fraudsters exploit the elevated legitimate activity surrounding the elections to scam people by impersonating real candidates and political movements. In most cases, the goal of these scams is to steal people's data, money, or both. "The FBI is warning the public about scammers exploiting the 2024 U.S. General election to perpetrate multiple types of financial fraud schemes," reads the public service announcement. "Scammers use the names, images, logos, and slogans of candidates to fraudulently solicit campaign contributions, sell merchandise (which is never sent to the purchaser), or steal victim personally identifiable information (PII) that can be used for other fraud," adds FBI in the same PSA. The FBI has highlighted four main types of scams during election periods. Numerous pump-and-dump cryptocurrency scams have also been created recently using themes surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump to push new tokens. To protect against these scams, treat all unsolicited communications with caution and disbelief, and avoid sharing personal information or sending money to unknown persons. It is possible to confirm the authenticity of claims of political party affiliation by visiting the Federal Commission (FEC) website. The FBI notes that donations to political campaigns are never investments, and there can be no positive return from them. If you receive a fraudulent request, reporting all details to the IC3 quickly is crucial in stopping the scammers and protecting others from falling victims.

Daily Brief Summary

MISCELLANEOUS // FBI Cautions Against Election-Related Financial Fraud Schemes

The FBI has issued a warning about multiple fraud schemes leveraging the upcoming U.S. general election.

Scammers impersonate legitimate candidates and political movements to solicit donations or sell merchandise, often not delivering on promises.

The schemes primarily aim to steal money and personal data, including personally identifiable information.

The fraud types include unsolicited campaign contributions requests and pump-and-dump cryptocurrency scams exploiting political figures.

The public is advised to approach unsolicited communications with skepticism, verify political affiliations via official sources, and never treat campaign donations as investments.

Reporting fraudulent activities to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is essential for stopping scammers and protecting potential victims.