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in Robocalls / Phone Scams
kashmirobserver.net
· 2025-12-08
India's CERT-In cyber-security agency issued a public advisory detailing over a dozen online scams targeting citizens, with particular focus on the "digital arrest" scam where fraudsters impersonate government officials via WhatsApp or Skype, threatening victims with arrest to coerce them into transferring money under false pretenses of investigations or security deposits. Prime Minister Narendra Modi simultaneously warned the public about these scams in his radio address, recommending citizens verify agency identity directly, avoid panic-driven money transfers, and report incidents to the national cyber-security helpline (1930) or www.cybercrime.gov.in. The advisory also highlighted other prevalent scams including phishing,
indianexpress.com
· 2025-12-08
A 73-year-old man from Pune was defrauded of Rs 45 lakh (approximately $54,000 USD) in a "digital arrest" scam in September, where cyber criminals posing as TRAI and Mumbai Crime Branch officers convinced him he was under investigation for drug trafficking and money laundering, forcing him to remain confined at home without contact with others for four days. The fraudsters used video calls with fake police credentials and Maharashtra police logos to build credibility, then instructed him to transfer his savings to fraudulent "RBI safe accounts," after which the scammers became unreachable. This case exemplifies organized cross-border cyber crimes where fraudsters use
northshoredailypost.com
· 2025-12-08
Two West Vancouver residents fell victim to a phone scam in which a caller impersonated bank staff, claiming suspicious account activity and convincing them to transfer funds to a "safe" account controlled by the scammers. Police urged the public not to share personal information or transfer funds based on unsolicited calls and to report such incidents to authorities.
wgrz.com
· 2025-12-08
School districts in Buffalo are warning parents of a scam in which callers impersonate College Board representatives and request credit card and address information to sell fake SAT prep materials. The Better Business Bureau advises parents to verify requests directly with their child's school before sharing personal information over the phone.
kwqc.com
· 2025-12-08
The Rock Island County Sheriff's Office and Bettendorf Police Department warned the public of a phone scam in which callers impersonate law enforcement and request personal and financial information. Both departments emphasize they never call to request payments, and advise recipients to hang up immediately and contact local police if they receive such calls.
koamnewsnow.com
· 2025-12-08
The Better Business Bureau warns that scammers are increasingly using text message phishing schemes to impersonate legitimate businesses, exploiting the fact that companies now communicate more via SMS. To protect against these scams, consumers should avoid clicking suspicious links, verify business contact information through official channels, watch for grammar errors and poor English, ignore requests to reply with "STOP," and report suspected scams to BBB.org/ScamTracker.
semissourian.com
· 2025-12-08
Spring weather increases scam activity targeting elderly residents, according to a warning from Seniors and Lawmen Together (SALT) in Cape Girardeau County. Common spring scams involve unsolicited home repair offers—such as roof repairs, driveway paving, and painting—where con artists either use inferior materials and demand higher fees or accept down payments without performing work. Police recommend seniors avoid unsolicited service offers and instead use well-known local companies with verifiable references.
theprint.in
· 2025-12-08
**Tech Support Scams Targeting Canadian Seniors Surge Amid India-Canada Diplomatic Rift**
Cyber scammers operating from call centers in India and Cambodia are exploiting a breakdown in cooperation between Indian and Canadian authorities to intensify tech support fraud targeting Canadian senior citizens. The scams, worth millions of dollars monthly, involve fraudsters impersonating Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple to convince elderly victims to pay for unnecessary technical support services, with funds being laundered through cryptocurrencies to Hong Kong; a recent CBI operation busted one call center in New Delhi that had defrauded victims across multiple countries for two years.
patch.com
· 2025-12-08
Scammers in Northbrook, Illinois impersonated Cook County Sheriff's Office personnel, calling residents claiming they had an "urgent legal matter" or outstanding warrant for missing jury duty in an attempt to extract personal and financial information. Northbrook Police warned residents not to provide any such information to these callers and encouraged them to share the warning with friends, family, and neighbors.
uniindia.com
· 2025-12-08
Tamil Nadu police issued a warning about a pension scam targeting senior citizens, in which fraudsters impersonate government officials and trick pensioners into sharing bank details or scanning QR codes under the pretense of facilitating pension benefits like old age or widow pensions. Between January and October 2024, approximately 28 complaints were filed regarding this scam, resulting in financial losses when money is debited from victims' accounts instead of pension payments being received. Police advised pensioners to verify caller identities, avoid sharing personal information over the phone, never scan QR codes from unknown sources, and report suspicious activity to the Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930.
mypunepulse.com
· 2025-12-08
A 62-year-old woman from Pune lost ₹25.5 lakh in a sophisticated parcel scam where fraudsters impersonated courier and cybercrime officials, falsely claiming her Aadhaar was used to send illegal items to Thailand and threatening her with jail time. The victim liquidated mutual funds and transferred the money via RTGS after being promised an RBI investigation and reimbursement, after which the scammers ceased contact. Parvati police have launched an investigation into the incident.
timesherald.com
· 2025-12-08
A criminal investigation was launched in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania after election officials flagged approximately 2,500 voter registration forms submitted before the state's deadline, with about 60% found to contain fraudulent elements such as false names, forged signatures, incorrect addresses, or stolen personal information. Two additional Pennsylvania counties received similar suspicious applications, and authorities described the scheme as an organized effort, though the source and scope of the fraud remain under investigation. The fraudulent applications have been segregated and prevented from resulting in ballot issuance while the investigation continues.
cnbctv18.com
· 2025-12-08
A sophisticated scam targeting air travelers in India compromised approximately 450 passengers between July and August 2024, causing collective losses exceeding ₹9 lakh (₹900,000). The scheme involved a fake "Lounge Pass" app distributed via WhatsApp that requested facial scans and personal details, then used granted SMS permissions to intercept OTPs and conduct unauthorized credit card transactions, with funds redirected to third-party accounts. Cybersecurity experts recommend travelers download apps only from official stores, avoid unverified QR codes, and limit SMS access permissions to mitigate risks from this social engineering tactic exploiting the popularity of airport lounge services.
ibtimes.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
An 83-year-old San Francisco Bay Area resident lost $50,000 in a cryptocurrency scam after receiving a call from someone impersonating her grandson who claimed to be arrested and needing bail money. The scammers instructed her to deposit cash into Coinstar cryptocurrency ATMs over multiple days, using escalating claims of additional charges and fees to extract more funds. Although her bank flagged suspicious withdrawals and a concerned bystander urged her to verify the story, she only discovered the fraud after directly contacting her grandson, and cryptocurrency's irreversible nature made fund recovery impossible.
shropshirestar.com
· 2025-12-08
A police officer in Telford, PC Robert Hughes, revealed that a family member fell victim to a "Hi Mum/Dad" impersonation scam via text message, where a scammer posed as him claiming to need urgent help and requesting contact on a new number. Although no money was lost after the family realized the scam in time, PC Hughes warns that this tactic exploits people's natural instinct to help relatives and advises verifying requests by calling or texting known phone numbers and using resources like Action Fraud and the "Who called me?" website to identify scammers.
the-sun.com
· 2025-12-08
US Marine Kagan Dunlap, 37, reported that scammers have been using his photographs and voice (mimicked through AI) to catfish thousands of women on dating apps since 2015, coercing victims to send money via gift cards, cash, and cryptocurrency. The fraudsters targeted lonely women globally and used military-related excuses (such as deployment limitations) to avoid video verification, while some victims became aggressive when confronted with the truth and even contacted Dunlap's wife accusing him of infidelity. Dunlap recommends potential victims demand video calls as verification, noting that no legitimate contact should refuse this simple verification method.
aarp.org
· 2025-12-08
An 82-year-old man named Dennis Jones was romantically scammed by a woman he met on Facebook who claimed to be a successful cryptocurrency investor named Jessie and offered to teach him how to profit from crypto investments. After developing trust with the scammer and hoping to leave an inheritance for his family, Dennis invested his savings, which turned out to be part of a fraudulent scheme. The devastating financial loss and emotional trauma led to Dennis taking his own life, and his son and daughter now share his story publicly to warn others about romance and cryptocurrency scams targeting seniors.
news.trendmicro.com
· 2025-12-08
This article identifies three active scams: the PayPal invoice scam (fraudsters impersonating "Exceed in Coding LLC" send fake invoices to obtain personal financial information via phone), hotel phishing scams (scammers contact victims through legitimate travel agency chat systems with malicious links to steal credentials), and fake payment scams on marketplace sites (scammers send fraudulent payment confirmations to trick sellers into releasing items without payment). The article advises readers to verify sources, avoid clicking suspicious links, and remain skeptical of unexpected payment requests.
cnet.com
· 2025-12-08
Credit card fraud affects approximately 60% of US credit card holders, with 52 million Americans experiencing fraudulent charges totaling over $5 billion last year, particularly during high-spending periods like Black Friday. Common scams include gift card fraud (where criminals pose as officials demanding payment via gift cards), fake charity websites, cloned shopping sites with nearly identical URLs, phone scams requesting card information, and credit card skimmers on unattended payment terminals. To protect themselves, consumers should monitor credit reports weekly through annualcreditreport.com, only shop on secure encrypted sites (https://), verify charity legitimacy through the IRS Tax-Exempt Organization Search tool, and be suspicious of unsolic
huroncountyview.mihomepaper.com
· 2025-12-08
The Huron County Sheriff's Office warned seniors of a political scam where fraudsters impersonated officials from Lansing and Detroit, claiming political memberships had expired and pressuring victims to renew them. Two elderly residents were targeted, with one losing significant money after providing personal information; authorities stated recovery chances are slim. The sheriff's office advised seniors to hang up on suspicious callers, discuss potential scams with family members, and verify caller identities before sharing information or money.
thehindu.com
· 2025-12-08
The Cyber Crime Wing of Tamil Nadu Police warned of an impersonation scam targeting pensioners, in which fraudsters pose as government officials to extract bank details and personal information through phone calls, QR codes, and WhatsApp screen-sharing requests. Between January and October 2024, approximately 28 complaints were reported to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, with victims experiencing unauthorized debits from their accounts after providing sensitive financial information. Senior citizens relying on pensions are particularly vulnerable to this scam, facing both significant financial losses and emotional distress.
thealpenanews.com
· 2025-12-08
A caller impersonating "Jack Jones" from Dish Network convinced the author's wife to provide her debit card information by claiming a mandatory $149.99 software update fee was required within 24 hours to maintain service, with a promised $15/month credit over 36 months. The author discovered the scam after returning home, confirmed it with Dish Network customer service, and took immediate protective measures including moving funds and canceling the debit card, noting that the scam's sophisticated nature—mimicking legitimate service procedures—would be particularly dangerous for elderly or cognitively declining seniors.
wktn.com
· 2025-12-08
The Auglaize County Sheriff's Office issued a public awareness alert about elder fraud targeting seniors through phone calls, emails, pop-ups, text messages, and letters to steal money and personal information. The advisory recommends residents avoid sharing personal information with unknown callers, never send money or gift cards to strangers, verify emergency claims and prize winnings with trusted sources, and report suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission.
prnewswire.com
· 2025-12-08
A married senior couple lost $30 million in a coordinated fraud scheme involving impersonation, cryptocurrency transfers, and alleged negligence by Charles Schwab, Bank of America, and Unchained Trading. Scammers used confidential information from Schwab's 2023 data breach to convince the victims their investment accounts were compromised, then directed them to liquidate assets and convert funds to cryptocurrency. The lawsuit alleges that all three institutions failed to implement proper Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) protocols despite clear red flags of elder financial abuse and identity theft, and instead attempted to upsell additional services rather than halt the fraudulent transactions
wthr.com
· 2025-12-08
A 90-year-old in Noblesville, Indiana, received a threatening letter claiming to be a "Final demand for payment" from a fake "Tax Processing Unit" demanding $8,000 for unpaid taxes, which her family identified as a scam by noting the urgency, lack of online payment option, and absence of verifiable contact information. The FBI reports that scams targeting people 60 and older resulted in over $3.4 billion in losses in 2023, with victims averaging $33,915 in losses, as scammers exploit seniors' politeness, savings, and reluctance to report fraud.
thefamuanonline.com
· 2025-12-08
Spam calls and communication fraud have become widespread globally, with scammers frequently targeting older adults aged 65 and up, who lose an average of $35,000 per victim according to Elder Affairs Florida. In response, Florida enacted House Bill 1171 effective October 1, which reclassifies fraud charges targeting seniors, minors, and people with disabilities to more severe felony levels—elevating misdemeanors to third-degree felonies and increasing penalties for higher-level offenses. The law also allows victims whose images or likenesses were used fraudulently to pursue legal action, while the Federal Trade Commission recommends protective measures such as avoiding unknown emails, securing personal information,
theguardian.com
· 2025-12-08
In summer 2020, a 28-year-old woman lost £18,000 to a bank impersonation scam where fraudsters posed as her bank's fraud team and instructed her to move funds to a "safe" account. Though she was eventually reimbursed by her bank, the experience caused severe psychological distress including suicidal ideation. The article highlights growing evidence that fraud victims experience significant mental health impacts—with research showing 60-69% of UK fraud victims report negative effects on mental health including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem—and notes that psychological harm from scams is not simply proportional to financial loss but depends on factors like social support, existing
the-independent.com
· 2025-12-08
A journalist was scammed out of £240 after being contacted via Facebook Messenger by someone posing as a casual acquaintance offering Coldplay concert tickets; the account had been hacked, and the fraudster exploited the victim's desire to help a friend and emotional connection to manipulate the transaction. The scam exemplifies how criminals exploit social media trust networks and personal relationships, targeting people's emotions rather than relying on obviously suspicious tactics, and demonstrates that social media platforms struggle to combat these increasingly sophisticated fraud techniques.
larimer.gov
· 2025-12-08
An 85-year-old man and 83-year-old woman in California fell victim to a tech support scam after clicking a popup that directed them to call "Microsoft Support Services"; the suspect collected $30,000 from them in person and later attempted to extort an additional $70,000 in gold bars. Arashdeep Dhaliwal was arrested in April 2024 when he returned to collect the gold and subsequently pleaded guilty to felony theft, receiving 30 days jail time at work release, 3 years supervised probation, and ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution to the victims.
nbcmiami.com
· 2025-12-08
Wanda Tima, who operated "The Haitian American" Facebook page with over 460,000 followers, fell victim to a phishing scam when she clicked a malicious email link during a fake podcast interview request, allowing a hacker to take control of her account and post political content. Cybersecurity experts note that phishing attacks are increasingly difficult to detect because scammers exploit publicly available personal information from multiple sources, and recommend using two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and avoiding suspicious links to prevent such attacks. Tima regained control of her page after nearly two weeks and reported the incident to Meta.
theregister.com
· 2025-12-08
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign demonstrated that OpenAI's Realtime API can be used to create AI agents capable of automating phone scams and credential theft at an average cost of $0.75 per attempt, with a 36% success rate across various scam types including bank transfers, gift card fraud, and credential exfiltration. The study revealed that these scamming agents require minimal coding (1,051 lines) and can execute complex multi-step attacks on victims, exploiting vulnerabilities in the AI model's safety controls through jailbreaking prompts. The findings highlight significant security concerns with voice-enabled AI APIs, as phone sc
financial-planning.com
· 2025-12-08
Charles Schwab is facing a federal lawsuit filed by an 84-year-old man and his 76-year-old wife who allege the financial firm failed to prevent scammers from stealing $18.5 million of their retirement savings. The fraud involved hackers posing as Schwab and law enforcement representatives who manipulated the couple into transferring nearly $30 million to a cryptocurrency exchange, with $18.5 million ultimately converted to crypto and sent to the scammers. This is the third similar lawsuit against Schwab in less than two months, highlighting a broader elder fraud crisis affecting seniors nationwide.
hawaiinewsnow.com
· 2025-12-08
An elderly victim in Honolulu was defrauded through a malware scam in which he received a fake Microsoft pop-up warning on August 29, then was instructed by a female caller to withdraw cash and place it in a cardboard box for a supposed courier pickup. Over two days, two suspects (one female, one male) used provided passcodes to collect the cash-filled boxes from the victim's home, with both captured on surveillance video. Police note that elderly individuals are particularly vulnerable to these digital scams and urge family members to warn their relatives about such threats.
emporiagazette.com
· 2025-12-08
The 22nd annual Senior Life Fair in Lyon County held an educational event focused on scam prevention, attracting hundreds of seniors to learn about fraud risks and community resources. Kansas Assistant Attorney General Melanie Jack delivered the keynote address emphasizing the prevalence of scams targeting seniors, including romance scams and internet-based fraud, while noting that fraud against Kansas residents over 60 is now treated as a criminal investigation. Nearly 40 vendors provided information on senior services, health screenings, and safety topics.
newsbytesapp.com
· 2025-12-08
Online scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with fraudsters employing impersonation, voice-changing technology, and emotional manipulation to steal money and personal information from victims. Common schemes include "nude video call" blackmail on WhatsApp, voice-mimicking scams impersonating distressed family members, fake customs fees for parcels, lottery winnings requiring upfront payments, and romance scams. The article advises verifying caller identities through callbacks, avoiding unsolicited video calls from unknown numbers, confirming with legitimate companies before payments, and exercising caution when sharing personal information with people met only online.
pmg-ky3.com
· 2025-12-08
Scams and fraud have surged nationwide, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting scams more than doubled in 2020, Kentucky alone losing $13 million in 2021, and elder fraud reports to the FBI increasing 62% between 2020-2021. Elderly residents are disproportionately affected but often fail to report incidents due to embarrassment, while criminals employ evolving tactics including skimming devices, robocalls (60% of U.S. calls in 2022), phishing emails, and business impersonation schemes. Detective Dean Hutchinson recommends verifying caller identities independently, ignoring unsolicited bank emails, and being cautious with payment apps
newsaegis.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational piece outlines cybersecurity best practices for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, emphasizing three core strategies: staying suspicious, stopping to think, and staying protected. The article identifies common scam tactics targeting all consumers—particularly elderly, lonely, and disabled individuals—including fear-based language, artificial urgency, and false promises of money, and recommends protective measures such as using password managers, enabling multi-factor verification, avoiding personal information requests in online quizzes, and reporting suspected fraud to the FTC or free resources like the AARP Fraud Watch Network.
ahmedabadmirror.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational article outlines common online scams targeting consumers during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, including romance scams (which prey on isolated individuals over extended periods), job scams (impersonating recruiters to steal money or personal information), investment scams (get-rich-quick schemes often involving cryptocurrency), and quiz scams (harvesting personal data for account breaches). The article provides warning signs and protective measures for each scam type, such as reverse-image searching suspicious photos, verifying job offers directly with companies, researching investment opportunities independently, and avoiding online quizzes that collect personal information.
legion.org
· 2025-12-08
The IRS announced tax relief for Florida residents affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene, extending filing deadlines to May 1, 2025, for most individual and business returns, with automatic penalty relief for those with addresses in disaster areas. The IRS also warned taxpayers to be vigilant against charity scams that often follow disasters, recommending they verify charities through the Tax Exempt Organization Search tool and avoid donating via gift cards, wire transfers, or to solicitors requesting personal financial information.
valpo.life
· 2025-12-08
**SMiShing Scam Overview:**
SMiShing is a phishing attack using text messages where scammers impersonate banks, government agencies, and other trusted sources to trick victims into clicking malicious links or revealing personal information like passwords and credit card details. Common tactics include fake bank alerts about account issues, delivery notifications, government refund claims, and prize offers—all designed to exploit urgency and fear. Red flags include unsolicited messages, generic greetings, suspicious links, and requests for sensitive information; victims should verify requests directly with their bank, avoid clicking unfamiliar links, and report suspicious texts to authorities.
foxnews.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational piece warns that AI-powered misinformation poses significant cybersecurity risks during elections, with bad actors using generative AI to rapidly create fake news, deepfakes, phishing emails, and coordinated social media campaigns. A Trend Micro study found a critical gap in consumer awareness: while 79% of U.S. respondents felt confident identifying online scams, 62% actually failed to recognize a specific scam example, suggesting people underestimate the sophistication of AI-generated election-related misinformation. The article advises readers to recognize that election-related scams and misinformation have become increasingly difficult to spot without proper awareness and skepticism of suspicious content.
visionsfcu.org
· 2025-12-08
"Smishing" scams impersonate Visions and other financial organizations via text messages to trick members into revealing login credentials, secure access codes, or account information through fake webpages and fraudulent phone calls. The article provides examples of common scams and prevention strategies, recommending that recipients avoid clicking links, verify sender numbers against official Visions contact information, and call the official contact center at 800.242.2120 to confirm legitimacy.
crowell.com
· 2025-12-08
Scammers are increasingly targeting System for Award Management (SAM.gov) registrations used by federal contractors through phishing emails impersonating the GSA and fraudulent access requests, aiming to compromise sensitive banking and tax information or divert government payments. Successful attacks can result in compromised accounts, modified certifications that jeopardize contract eligibility, or complete registration deletion, halting payments and requiring extensive recovery efforts. Companies can protect themselves by maintaining multiple SAM Administrators, carefully verifying all emails and access requests before clicking links, enabling multifactor authentication, and internally confirming any unexpected access requests before granting approval.
cnn.com
· 2025-12-08
Hundreds of elderly Americans, including those with dementia, have been victimized by deceptive political fundraising tactics from both Republican and Democratic campaigns, with vulnerable donors unknowingly giving away millions of dollars through relentless text messages and emails that automatically enrolled them in recurring donations. A CNN investigation identified over 1,000 government complaints and found that elderly donors lost more than $6 million in a small sample alone, with some individuals giving away six-figure sums from their life savings, predominantly to Republican candidates and former President Donald Trump. The predatory practices exploit cognitive decline by making false urgent pleas for money appear to come directly from major candidates, draining bank accounts without donors' knowledge or consent
scoopwhoop.com
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
This is a personal account of the author nearly falling victim to a telecom fraud scam in India. The author received a pre-recorded call claiming to be from TRAI stating their phone number would be deactivated for illegal activities, and when transferred to a supposed helpline representative, was told there was an FIR registered against them and given increasingly specific details that appeared credible. The piece illustrates how even media-literate individuals can be vulnerable to sophisticated scams that exploit psychological pressure and exploit personal knowledge or well-timed details to establish false credibility.
hindustantimes.com
· 2025-12-08
A woman lost over ₹87,000 at Bengaluru International Airport after downloading a fraudulent "Lounge Pass" app to gain airport lounge access in September 2024. The scammers allegedly used the app to access her phone, intercept one-time passwords, and make unauthorized transfers to a PhonePe account while also setting up call forwarding on her line. She reported the incident to the cybercrime department and her bank after discovering the unauthorized charges on her credit card statement.
wpsdlocal6.com
· 2025-12-08
During election season, scammers are exploiting heightened emotions to target donors through unsolicited political donation emails, calls, and social media pop-ups that request money and personal information. Local residents have reported receiving 10-20 fraudulent political emails daily from impostors posing as campaigns, with the Better Business Bureau identifying pushy donation requests, unsolicited links, and reward offers as common red flags. Experts advise researching campaigns before donating, avoiding clicking unsolicited links, and verifying requests directly with official campaign channels rather than responding to incoming communications.
news.abplive.com
· 2025-12-08
A woman lost over Rs 87,000 at Bengaluru International Airport after downloading a fraudulent "Lounge Pass" app when seeking airport lounge access in September 2024. The scammers used the app to gain access to her phone, set up call forwarding, and intercept OTPs to authorize unauthorized transfers to a PhonePe account. She reported the incident to the cybercrime department and urged others to be cautious about downloading unfamiliar apps and to remove unused applications from their devices.
inews.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
Hundreds of pensioners lost their life savings to pension scammers in recent years, with 559 reported cases in the last year resulting in £17.75 million in losses and an average loss of £46,959 per victim. Pension scams take various forms—including fake pension reviews, unauthorized early withdrawals, and fraudulent transfer schemes—and have proliferated through social media and online advertising, exacerbated by economic uncertainty and the cost-of-living crisis. Experts argue the UK's pension fraud reporting system is inadequate and call for greater preventative measures and bank protections for vulnerable older customers.
nbcboston.com
· 2025-12-08
Over half of Americans have been targeted by election-related scams, with younger voters particularly vulnerable to fake polls, political donation scams, and disinformation. Common tactics include fraudulent donation schemes where money doesn't reach intended campaigns or involves unauthorized recurring charges, survey scams that harvest personal information for phishing attacks, impersonation scams, and robocalls spreading misinformation. Voters should verify sources before donating, research organizations thoroughly, avoid clicking suspicious links, and report suspected scams to authorities.