{
  "id": 14977929,
  "title": "Uncle Scam Wants You … to cough up your cash and personal data, FBI warns ahead of midterms",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/uncle-scam-wants-you-to-cough-up-your-cash-and-personal-data-fbi-14977929",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-16T14:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Register Science",
    "slug": "the-register-science",
    "url": "https://www.theregister.com/cyber-crime/2026/10/16/uncle-scam-wants-you-to-cough-up-your-cash-and-personal-data-fbi-warns-ahead-of-midterms/5303512"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The FBI is warning US citizens to be vigilant against scams that will likely increase around the upcoming November midterms. Scammers often exploit the names, images, and slogans of high-profile candidates to carry out various types of fraud, including fundraising and merchandise scams, and the theft of personal data. The rise in AI and deepfake technology has made these scams more convincing than ever.\n\nOne type of scam that the FBI is particularly concerned about is campaign investment pool schemes. These scams involve convincing people to pay into a campaign pool, which is supposed to pay out after the candidate wins. However, these types of pooled investment scams are usually based on collective investments in stocks or other appreciating assets. The FBI emphasizes that no genuine campaign donations actually appreciate over time.\n\nAnother common scam involves the creation of fake political action committees (PACs). These PACs collect donations from supporters and promise to forward the money to their preferred party or candidate. However, the scammers keep the money for themselves. Similarly, fraudsters sell merchandise related to political campaigns, but the orders are never fulfilled, constituting a non-delivery scam.\n\nPhishing is also a significant concern during election season. Scammers create a sense of urgency by claiming that a victim has not yet registered to vote and asking them to follow a link to enter their details. This information is then used for identity theft. While the FBI does not mention this in its advisory, Texans should be especially wary, given recent computer issues that led to a backlog in registration applications in Texas.\n\nTexans should also be wary of efforts by scammers to capitalize on the backlog. The Texas Secretary of State's office has reported that as of September 22, about 600,000 applications were allegedly in limbo due to a website flaw. However, the office's spokesperson, Alicia Pierce, clarified that the backlog was only in the tens of thousands and that it was cleared as of the following week. Scammers may continue to exploit this awareness when devising their phishing campaigns.\n\nThe FBI advises the public to verify all political organizations, such as PACs, via the government's election commission website. While some scam PACs can appear on the website as registered, suspicious ones often report high expenses for matters like consulting, fundraising, and other administrative costs.",
  "summary": "The inevitable election-themed cyberattacks are whirring again, as the feds issue PSA about the ones to watch out for",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Register",
        "title": "Uncle Scam Wants You … to cough up your cash and personal data, FBI warns ahead of midterms",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/uncle-scam-wants-you-to-cough-up-your-cash-and-personal-data-fbi",
        "published": "2026-10-16T14:30:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}