Five Election‑Season Scams Target Voters, Donors and Survey Takers
Malwarebytes Labs catalogues five social‑engineering scams that surface around elections, from fake voter‑registration links to bogus campaign donation requests. The campaigns exploit urgency and trusted branding, highlighting the need for strong security awareness controls to protect constituents and organizations.
ADTP Breach Watch· October 27, 2026· Malwarebytes Labs
SeverityMedium
Type🦠 Threat intel
ConfidenceHigh
ReportedOct 27, 2026
Other / UnknownGeneral publicPolitical campaignsNon‑profit fundraisersPhishing
What happened
Malwarebytes Labs identified five recurring election‑related scams that use text messages, fake WhatsApp accounts, and counterfeit fundraising emails to trick recipients into clicking malicious links, downloading fraudulent apps, or providing personal information. The scams promise to “fix” voter registration, solicit urgent donations, or offer rewards for completing surveys. Law‑enforcement agencies such as the FBI have warned that these lures collect personal data for identity theft and further fraud. The article provides examples from the United States and Brazil, illustrating how attackers mimic official election services and campaign branding to increase credibility.
Why it matters for trust and compliance
These phishing campaigns demonstrate why continuous security awareness training and verification controls are essential for audit‑ready organizations.
Map user‑training controls to NIST CSF Identify and Protect functions for audit evidence
Collect phishing‑simulation results as continuous monitoring evidence for governance reviews
Who is affected
General publicPolitical campaignsNon‑profit fundraisers
Recommended actions
Update security awareness curricula with election‑themed phishing examples
Run simulated phishing campaigns that replicate the described scams
Enable email/SMS filtering rules for election‑related lure language
Instruct users to verify URLs through official election authority portals before clicking
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