Security News > 2020 > October > Scammers Seize on US Election, But It's Not Votes They Want
American voters face an especially pivotal, polarized election this year, and scammers here and abroad are taking notice - posing as fundraisers and pollsters, impersonating candidates and campaigns, and launching fake voter registration drives.
It's not votes they're after, but to win a voter's trust, personal information and maybe a bank routing number.
Foreign adversaries like Russia, China and Iran get much of the blame for creating fake social media accounts and spreading deceptive election information, largely because of efforts by groups linked to the Kremlin to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Now, the final weeks of a contentious election are giving scammers yet another opportunity to strike.
In 2018, scammers posed as employees from the non-profit voting advocacy group TurboVote and phoned people in Georgia, Washington and at least three other states asking them to register to vote.