The midterm election is November 3, and scammers are campaigning too. A text says you're not registered to vote, with a link to "fix it" today. The link leads to a fake site built to collect your personal details.

On October 15 the FBI warned that scammers are using the midterms to steal money and identities, often with AI-made voices and images of real candidates. Its warning lists four tricks: the fake voter registration text or email; "ScamPACs" that pose as real political committees and keep your donation; a campaign "investment pool" that promises a payout if your candidate wins and asks you to recruit friends; and political merchandise that never ships. The red flags: an unexpected message with a link, a promised return on a donation, and contact details that don't match the group they claim to be.

The rule: Check your registration only at vote.gov, typed in yourself. A donation is a gift, never an investment. Look up any PAC at fec.gov before you give, and report scams at ic3.gov.

Source: FBI: Scammers Exploit 2026 U.S. Midterm Election to Perpetrate Multiple Fraud Schemes

Your phone rings and the caller ID shows your power company. Pay a fee today, the caller says, or your electricity gets cut off this afternoon.

On October 15 Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador warned that almost 400 Idaho Power accounts have been hit by impostors. They call, text, and email about fake outages and give out a fake customer service number. Call it, and they collect your personal details and change your account. Others demand a same-day deposit or a fee to replace a "defective meter," paid by prepaid card, crypto, a money app, or a QR code. A caller ID that shows your utility's name proves nothing, because numbers can be faked. This wave is in Idaho, but the same script works on utility customers anywhere.

The rule: Hang up and call the number on your bill or in your utility's official app. No real utility demands same-day payment by prepaid card, crypto, or QR code. Idaho residents can report at ReportScamsIdaho.com.

Source: Idaho Attorney General: Consumer Alert: AG Labrador Warns About Utility Scams Hitting Idaho

The show sold out in minutes. Then the same seats showed up on a resale site for far more. Sometimes that's not bad luck. It's a business plan.

On October 15 the FTC sued ticket broker REPS & Company under the Better Online Ticket Sales Act. The FTC says REPS used thousands of ticket accounts in other people's names, plus phone numbers and virtual credit cards it controlled and tools to hide its location, to get around ticket limits. Since 2022, the complaint says, it bought more than 18.5 million tickets and made at least $120.8 million reselling them, including about $833,000 from one 2023 Beyoncé concert. These are allegations, and a court will decide the case.

The rule: Start at the official box office or the venue's own website, and check the face value before you pay a resale price. Report shady ticket sellers at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Source: FTC: FTC Sues Ticket Broker Over Unlawful Tactics Used to Buy Millions of Tickets to Popular Live Events

Someone threatens to share your intimate photos unless you pay. In a panic you search for help, and the top result promises to make it all go away, for a price.

On October 13 the FTC sued Digital Forensics, which runs BlackmailHelpline.com, DigitalForensics.com, CyberBlackmail911.com, and SecurityBreach911.com. The FTC says the company falsely promised to stop sextortion threats, keep images from spreading, and report the criminals to authorities, then charged thousands of dollars and didn't deliver. The case has not been decided. The red flags: a guarantee to stop the threats, fees for image removal that platforms do for free, and a top search result that was paid to be there.

The rule: Don't pay the blackmailer, and block them. Report them to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-225-5324, or to NCMEC's CyberTipline if a minor is involved. Under the Take It Down Act, platforms must remove intimate images within 48 hours of your request, for free.

Source: FTC: How to avoid deceptive sextortion assistance services and find real help