Election Day scam text or call? How to tell if it's fake and stay safe

Your phone just buzzed: "Your polling location has changed," or "Our records show you are not registered to vote," with a link. Or a candidate's voice is calling you about donating, or about not bothering to show up.

It's Election Day for the 2026 midterms, and the FBI has warned that these scams are active right now. By the end of this guide you'll know how to check any voting message on official sites, and what to do if you already tapped the link.

The short answer

Don't use any link, number, or instructions from a text, email, call, or social post about voting. Look up your registration and polling place yourself at vote.gov or your local board of elections website. You can't vote by text, you never pay to vote, and real polls don't offer prizes. If you entered personal or card info, jump to the "already clicked" section below.

Before you start

• You need: your phone or computer and about 2 minutes per message.
• Keep the suspicious message. Don't delete it yet, because you'll want a screenshot for the report.
• If you typed in your Social Security number, bank details, or card number, call your bank first and read this guide after.

Check a "your polling place moved" message in 2 minutes

Scammers know a small nudge on Election Day can send people to the wrong place or convince them it's too late. The FBI notes that deliberately lying about when, where, or how to vote is a federal election crime.

1. Don't tap the link or call back the number in the message.
2. Open your browser and type the address yourself: vote.gov, usa.gov, or eac.gov. Each one points you to your official state and local election office.
3. Look up your polling place on your local election office's site. In New York City that's the NYC Board of Elections; on Long Island it's your county board.
4. Compare what the official site says with what the message said. If they don't match, the message is fake.
5. Call the office using the phone number printed on its official website if you're still unsure. If someone calls you claiming your site changed, hang up and dial that number yourself.

If it worked, you'll see your real polling address on a .gov site, and you can ignore the message.

Got a "you're not registered to vote" text?

The FBI says this one links to a fake state registration page built to collect your personal details for identity theft.

1. Skip the link. Go to vote.gov and follow it to your state's official registration lookup.
2. Check your status there. If you're registered, the text was a scam.
3. Report and block the sender (steps below).

If you already clicked or entered info

1. Card or bank info entered: call the number on the back of your card, report fraud, and ask for a new card number.
2. Social Security number or date of birth entered: place a free credit freeze with each of the three credit bureaus through their official sites. A freeze stops anyone from opening new credit in your name.
3. Password entered: change it on the real site, and anywhere else you reused it. Turn on two-step verification.
4. App or file downloaded: delete it and run a security scan.

For the full walkthrough, see I clicked a link in a scam text. Now what?

Before you donate: check the PAC on FEC.gov

Fake PACs ("ScamPACs") borrow real candidates' names, photos, and slogans. Some sign you up for recurring $10 or $25 charges that quietly add up to hundreds of dollars.

1. Go to fec.gov and search the committee's name in the campaign finance data's committee browser.
2. Confirm it exists and matches the name exactly. Watch for one-letter differences.
3. Look at spending. The FBI says some scam PACs are registered but report heavy spending on fundraising, consulting, compliance, or administration. That's a warning sign.
4. Give through the candidate's official website, typed in yourself, never through a link in a text.

A "campaign investment pool" promising returns if your candidate wins is always a scam. Donations aren't investments and don't come back.

Cancel recurring charges you didn't agree to

1. Check your statement for repeating small charges with political-sounding names.
2. Call your card issuer, dispute the charges, and ask them to block future ones from that merchant.
3. Get a new card number if the PAC still has your card on file.

Block and report scam texts and calls

iPhone (current iOS)

1. Open the text, then tap Report Junk under it if you see the option.
2. Tap the sender's name at the top → Info → Block Caller.
3. Silence unknown callers for the day: Settings → Apps → Phone → Silence Unknown Callers. On older iOS versions it's under Settings → Phone.

Android (Pixel and Samsung)

1. Google Messages: long-press the conversation → Block → check Report spam → OK.
2. Samsung Messages: open the conversation → ⋮ → Block number (wording varies slightly by version).
3. Turn on spam call filtering: In the Phone app tap ⋮ → Settings → Caller ID & spam (Pixel) or Caller ID and spam protection (Samsung).

Windows 11 and Mac

For scam emails, use your mail app's Report phishing or Junk option instead of just deleting. That trains your filter and alerts your provider.

Still not working? Try these

• Getting calls in a candidate's voice? It may be AI. The FCC has ruled AI-cloned voices in robocalls count as "artificial" under federal robocall law, so they're illegal and you can report them to the FCC at fcc.gov.
• A survey promising a gift card or prize? Real polls don't hand out prizes or ask for a card number. Delete it.
• "We'll help you vote" or "get your ballot on autopilot" texts? Malwarebytes found these copy wording from real state services. Go to your election office directly instead.
• Report it: file at ic3.gov with who contacted you, phone numbers, emails, websites, how you paid, and what you gave them. False voting info goes to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov, with screenshots. New Yorkers can also contact the NY Attorney General's office through ag.ny.gov.

Keep it from happening again

• Bookmark your board of elections site now, so next time you skip search results and texts entirely.
• Don't ask AI chatbots for voting times or locations. Use official sites.
• Business owners: warn staff today about election-themed phishing emails and voice-clone calls asking for money or logins. Set a rule that any payment request gets confirmed by calling a known number.
• Treat urgency as a red flag. "Polls close early" or "act in 10 minutes" is pressure, not news.

Quick answers

Can I vote by text message? No. Any message saying you can is a scam.

The message came from a real-looking campaign number. Is it safe? Not necessarily. Scammers use AI-made voices, images, and messages that look like candidates, campaigns, and government offices. Verify on the official site yourself.

I donated through a text link. Is my money gone? Call your card issuer now to dispute it and block future charges. Then report it at ic3.gov.

Sources

• IC3 PSA: Scammers Exploit 2026 U.S. Midterm Election to Perpetrate Multiple Fraud Schemes
• IC3 PSA: FBI Warns Voters on Election Crimes Ahead of the November 2026 Midterm Election
• Malwarebytes: Five election scams to watch out for
• Watch out for these election scams by fraudsters as the midterms approach
• It's Election Day. Here's how to spot a fake call, text or video about voting

Clicked something you shouldn't have?

If you tapped a scam link or entered info, an ITGoNYC tech can check your phone or computer over secure remote support, remove anything malicious, and lock down your accounts with you today. Call or text 347-549-9059 now, or open a ticket and we'll get you sorted same day.