Election scam warning: How to verify a political fundraising group before you donate

Scammers can borrow a candidate's real name, photo and even campaign slogans to make fraudulent appeals look legitimate, and the FBI is warning voters to be wary this election season.

Voters could get a text message about registering to vote or urging them to donate to a particular campaign. Those are among the ways scammers try to reach people to steal their money and identity.

One scheme the FBI warns about is the campaign investment pool scam. Victims are told that a contribution to a political campaign will bring a guaranteed return on their investment if the candidate wins.

"It's too good to be true. It's the tip-off to the rip-off, and nobody can guarantee you that, and it's against the law as well," said Steve Bernas, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois.

Another popular scam is the online purchase scheme, when scammers claim to sell political merchandise, but don't ship anything after their target makes a purchase.

The FBI also says scammers can dupe the public through a political action committee scheme. Victims believe they're donating to a legitimate PAC, but the scammers have no connection to it and keep the money.

"Online purchases, online scams are the number one complaint to the Better Business Bureau for the last five years," Bernas said.

Voters can verify political fundraising organizations through the Federal Election Commission at FEC.gov.  

Scammers are known to set up websites and shut it down after just a few hours once they've scammed a few hundred victims.

"It's that quick. They can do it daily, they could do it hourly," Bernas said.

Scammers look at people's social media to see which candidates they follow or talk about, then target them on those topics, Bernas said. He said it's best to deal directly with the committees or candidates you want to support.

Another possible scam the FBI is warning about is called the Voter Registration Scheme, where a text or email the victim receives says they're not registered to vote, and they're told to click a link.

"Do not give them information at all, or don't click on those links. Deal with the verifiable sites, go directly to the site that you think it's coming from," Bernas said.

Bernas said scam texts and emails often claim you need to respond right away. He said that sense of urgency is the tip it's a scam.