Trust Onion is a free app that gives trusted groups three rotating codewords to check who they are communicating with. It also includes signed selfies, message checks, and callback requests. It is available for macOS, iOS, and Android. I tested the iPhone app with an older person, exploring setup and the tools available when a call or message raises concerns. Verification matters when someone asks for money, access, or information. Cisco Talos documented attackers posing … More →
Attackers posing as IT help desk staff contacted employees by phone, email and Microsoft Teams in the third quarter of 2026 and talked them into opening remote access sessions, Cisco Talos Incident Response (Talos IR) found across several engagements. In one case, that access ended in ransomware. They knew names and email addresses “The attackers appeared to know employee names and email addresses, as they contacted users directly by email and Teams and used identities … More →
One retail scam used more than 1,200 look-alike .shop domains sharing a single IP address. The sites reused HTML, JavaScript and payment-page designs intended to harvest card numbers, expiry dates and security codes, according Akamai’s Fraud and Abuse Report 2026. A ticket scam used a similar setup. Several websites impersonating official ticketing and hospitality portals for a major sporting event were designed to route payment and personal information to the same collection system. Some checkout … More →
Elections give scammers plenty to work with: urgent deadlines, familiar faces, passionate supporters, and messages asking people to take action.
Some want you to “fix” your voter registration. Others want a donation, an answer to a survey, or payment for merchandise supposedly endorsed by your favorite politician. The details change, but the objective stays the same: get your money, your personal information, or both.
Here are five election-themed scams to watch out for.
Scam 1. “We’ll help you vote”
Not every election-themed lure starts with a threat. Some offer to make voting easier.
“Get your ballot on autopilot,” reads one text message we reviewed. It encourages recipients to join a permanent absentee list so their ballots arrive at home for every election, adding the reassuring words: “Verified. Tracked. Counted.”
A voting-assistance text message reviewed by Scam Guard
The message is a scam, though it borrows the language of a real Minnesota voting service. Minnesota does have a permanent absentee voter list, but the link in this text is fraudulent. To check or sign up, go directly to your election authority’s official website.
Other messages take the opposite approach: instead of offering convenience, they warn that you could lose your chance to vote.
A message might say you are not registered to vote, your details are incomplete, or your registration is about to be cancelled. Then it offers a link to sort everything out.
The FBI recently warned about messages that send recipients to fraudulent voter-registration pages. Instead of helping people vote, these sites collect personal information that criminals can use for further fraud.
In Brazil, scammers used a fake WhatsApp account with the Superior Electoral Court’s logo. It claimed to be the court’s “Customer Service Department” (which doesn’t exist) and told people to download an app called “Soluciona Pendência,” roughly translated as “Resolve an outstanding issue.” The message falsely warned that people could lose access to banking or government services.
Scam 2. “Donate now to help your candidate win”
A fundraising appeal arrives just as an election reaches a critical moment. It uses the candidate’s photograph, familiar campaign language, and an urgent request for money.
That does not necessarily mean the campaign sent it.
The FBI warns that scammers impersonate candidates and political fundraising organizations to collect supposed campaign contributions. Victims believe they are supporting a legitimate organization, but the money goes to criminals instead.
Before donating, find the campaign or organization’s official website yourself and check who will receive the payment. Don’t let a countdown, a matching-donation claim, or a message about an impending defeat rush your decision. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises researching political fundraising requests and resisting pressure to act immediately.
Scam 3. “Take our political survey and claim your reward”
Not every political poll is suspicious. But a request for your opinion can also be an opening for a scam.
The BBB warns about fraudulent polling calls that promise a prize in exchange for answering questions. After the “survey,” the caller asks for credit card information to cover shipping, taxes, or other costs associated with the supposed reward.
At that point, the questions about candidates have served their purpose: keeping you engaged long enough to introduce a payment request.
Other election-themed messages ask people to complete surveys through links. Treat those links with the same caution you would an unexpected donation or registration request. A familiar political organization’s name does not establish who operates the website.
You can decline an unsolicited poll. You should not need to hand over payment details simply to share your political views or claim a surprise reward.
Scam 4. “Pay this electoral fine” or “Report for election duty”
Few things make a message feel urgent quite like an official-looking demand backed by a possible penalty.
Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) has warned about messages falsely claiming people had an unresolved voting issue. The messages link to fake government websites designed to steal personal information or trick people into paying.
Brazil does have legitimate electoral fines, which can be paid through official channels, including Pix. So a fine or Pix request alone doesn’t prove a message is a scam. If a message says you owe money or must perform election duty, check with the relevant authority using contact details from its official website. Don’t use the message’s phone number, link, or QR code.
Scam 5. Your favorite politician “wants you to buy this”
A politician’s name can be used to sell more than a political message.
Criminals use candidates’ names, photographs, logos, and slogans to advertise merchandise that never arrives. What looks like a way to support a candidate becomes an ordinary shopping scam wrapped in campaign branding.
Apply the same skepticism to a “commemorative,” “patriotic,” or supposedly collectible product advertised using a politician’s name. Before buying, ask:
Is the seller actually affiliated with the politician or campaign?
What, exactly, are you buying?
Is there evidence for claims about the product’s quality, usefulness, or future value?
What are the total price, refund terms, and any recurring charges?
A product does not become useful, valuable, or a sound investment because an ad places it beside a politician’s photograph. Nor does a photograph prove that the politician endorsed it.
There is also a difference between a product you consider poor value and a fraudulent offer. A product being poor value doesn’t automatically make it a scam. Look for clear deception: a fake endorsement, false claims, hidden fees, or an order that never arrives.
How to stay safe from election scams
You don’t need to work out every detail of a suspicious message before deciding whether to act on it. Verify the message through a route the sender does not control.
Go directly to official election websites to check registration, voting requirements, deadlines, and alleged penalties.
Verify donation requests independently. Find the campaign or organization yourself and confirm where your money will go.
Keep payment details out of unsolicited surveys. A political poll that turns into a request to pay for a prize is a red flag.
Check sellers before buying political merchandise. A candidate’s name or logo does not authenticate the shop.
Don’t mistake personal details for proof. A message can contain accurate information about you and still be a scam.
Keep political choices separate from requests for money or personal information. You can support a cause without responding to an unexpected message.
The warnings are everywhere these days. Don’t click this. Don’t open that. Don’t scan this. Don’t download that. These messages of caution, however well-intended, are so ubiquitous and constant that it should come as no surprise that some people have started to tune them out.
How many people? About one in three, according to our recent study.
Keeping up with every warning can feel exhausting. Meanwhile, scammers are finding new ways to target people and phones give them plenty of opportunities.
Mobile phones give scammers multiple ways to reach people, from text messages and calls to social media posts. According to a 2022 Federal Communications Commission report cited by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), texting is a more common communication method than voice or email.
Criminals appear to be taking advantage of that fact. Consumers reported losing $470 million to text scams in 2024, up 26% from $373 million the year before and more than five times the amount reported in 2020. The FTC cites estimates that text message open rates run as high as 98%, compared to just 20% for email. People’s tendency to open and read their texts helps explain their appeal to scammers.
Meanwhile, AI is making scams harder to detect, but better at impersonating people and companies to steal money, passwords, and identities.
Voice phishing, or “vishing,” was a vanishingly small category of crime just a few years ago, but AI has made it considerably more convincing. Vishing doubled in the first half of 2026, according to CrowdStrike’s 2026 Threat Hunting Report. Meanwhile, 16% of adults in the Malwarebytes survey said they had received a voice-cloned phone call impersonating someone they knew in the past year.
Our data also shows how difficult people find it to recognize scams: 85% of survey respondents said it’s hard to tell a scam from the real thing, up from 66% a year ago. And 84% said convincing video evidence no longer feels like the rock-solid proof it once was.
Here are five ways to protect yourself
1. Treat unexpected texts and social media posts with suspicion
Legitimate institutions generally won’t ask for payment or personal information through unsolicited texts. And if the message is marked “urgent,” all the more reason to pause. Instead, go directly to the company’s official website and inquire there.
AI-generated images and videos are making it harder to tell what’s real online, so don’t rely on what you see as proof that a request is legitimate. If the content involves someone you know, contact them directly using a number you already trust.
2. Keep your operating system updated
This is one of the most effective things you can do to keep your phone safe. Security updates patch vulnerabilities that malware takes advantage of. Malwarebytes’ threat research found Android malware detections rose 151% in the first half of 2025. On both iPhone and Android, automatic updates help decrease risk.
3. Protect your accounts
Use a strong, unique password for every account. A password manager can create and store them for you. Where available, use a passkey—a way to sign in using your device, often with your fingerprint, face, or PIN—that resists phishing.
Turn on two-factor authentication, also called 2FA, for all your apps that allow it. This one step makes it harder for criminals who have your password to gain access to accounts on your phone.
4. Be skeptical of voice calls, even from your mom
This can be the hardest one to get your head around, but also one of the most dangerous and fastest-growing. AI-synthesized audio fraud has made it easier for scammers to sound convincingly like a loved one in trouble. Agree on a private code word with family members and friends in case of doubt or emergency. If you’re unsure, hang up and call the person on a number you already have. If the caller claims to be your bank, hang up and call back on a number you look up independently.
5. Check links before you tap, including links in QR codes
Before opening a link in a text, email, or social media post, check the web address for misspellings or an unfamiliar domain. You can also copy it into the free Malwarebytes Scam Link Check for help assessing it.
QR codes can hide suspicious links, too. Scammers sometimes place fake sticker overlays on top of legitimate QR codes in public spaces, and QR code phishing is morphing so fast that the FBI issued an alert in January about North Korean hackers using QR codes to target think tanks and government officials. Look for signs of tampering and check the web address your phone displays before opening it. If you’re not sure, don’t open the link. Instead, go directly to the organization’s official website or app.
Scammers rely on speed and pressure, so the best defense is to slow down. If a message or call feels off, step away and check it through a channel you already trust.
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