FBI warns scammers use AI voices and images to impersonate candidates before the 2026 midterms

What the FBI warned

The FBI published public service announcement I-101526-3-PSA on 15 October 2026, three weeks before the US midterm elections. It updates a 29 October 2024 alert about scams around the 2024 general election. As before, scammers use candidates' names, images, logos and slogans to solicit fake donations, sell merchandise that never ships and steal personal data.

The new element is generative AI. The FBI says scammers exploit AI tools to generate highly realistic voices, images and written messages that impersonate candidates, campaigns, government entities and trusted contacts. It warns that this realism makes the schemes harder to detect and raises the chance of financial loss or exposure of personal data. The alert does not give examples of specific cloned voices or videos, and it does not name any campaign that has been impersonated.

The schemes named

The PSA lists four patterns. In a campaign investment pool scheme, victims are promised a guaranteed return if a candidate wins and are pushed to recruit others. In the scam PAC scheme, victims believe they are giving to a real Political Action Committee or campaign committee, but the funds stay with the scammers. Online purchase schemes sell political merchandise that never arrives. Voter registration schemes send texts or emails claiming the recipient is not registered and link to a fake state registration page that harvests personal data.

A companion alert, I-101626-PSA, issued on 16 October, focuses on election and campaign officials, and in it the FBI and CISA urge caution with emails and texts. It says a growing number of adversaries and criminals use what it calls super intelligence (SI) technology to create convincing deepfake video and audio, to steal identities and to support phishing. It recommends phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication for email, VPNs and critical systems.

What voters should do

The FBI says campaign donations are not investments and will not grow or be returned. It advises checking PAC and committee filings on the Federal Election Commission website, noting that a scam PAC may appear registered but report high fundraising, consulting or administrative costs. Voters should check registration at vote.gov, confirm that unsolicited contact details belong to the organisation they claim to represent, and avoid clicking unknown links. Victims should report to a local FBI field office or to IC3 with the scammer's details and payment information. More deepfake fraud coverage is under Cybersecurity.

What to watch next

The alert gives no complaint numbers or losses for the 2026 cycle. Post-election IC3 data and any enforcement action against scam PACs would show how much the AI element changed the scale of these frauds.

Questions people ask

How are scammers using AI in election fraud?

The FBI says they use AI tools to generate realistic voices, images and written messages that impersonate candidates, campaigns, government bodies and trusted contacts, making the schemes harder to spot.

How can I check whether a PAC is real?

Look up its registration and financial filings on the Federal Election Commission website. The FBI notes that scam PACs may appear registered but report very high fundraising, consulting or administrative costs.

Where do I report an election scam?

To a local FBI field office or the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov, with the scammer's contact details, payment information and a description of the interaction.

Sources

1. Scammers Exploit 2026 U.S. Midterm Election to Perpetrate Multiple Fraud Schemes (I-101526-3-PSA) (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 15 Oct 2026)
2. Cyber Threat Actors Use a Variety of Techniques to Target Election and Campaign Officials (I-101626-PSA) (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center and CISA, 16 Oct 2026)