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Political donation scams: how do you check a campaign ask before you give?

Checked

This lesson goes with our article Before you give to a campaign: how to spot election and political donation scams.

Talk about it at home: jump to the Table Talks

Teach it this week

Cyber

Political donation scams: how do you check a campaign ask before you give?

Big idea: A real campaign can wait while you check. Check the committee, give through the official site you found yourself, and never treat a donation as an investment.

Background for parents and grandparents: FBI: election scam warning

Table Talks (10 minutes)

  • Start: Show your family a made-up text: "Your candidate needs you! Give $50 to our victory pool and get $100 back after the win. Tap here." Ask: what does it want you to do?
  • Try it: Kids and grown-ups sort five made-up messages (a donation link in a text, a "guaranteed return" pool, a "you're not registered" alert, a shirt sale, a polished video asking for gift cards) into "check first" or "stop." For each, name the check: the FEC website, the campaign's official site typed in, vote.gov or the state election office, reviews before buying.
  • Wrap-up: Why can't a campaign donation pay you back?

Talk it over

  1. Have you ever seen an ad or message asking for money for a cause?
  2. Why might a scammer pretend to be a candidate or a campaign?
  3. If a video looked exactly like a famous person, how could you tell if it was really them?
  4. Who would you ask if a message about voting seemed odd?
  5. Shared activity: Screens off. Write a made-up scam text on paper together, then circle every clue: the rush, the link, the promised payback, the odd way to pay.
  6. Tonight's action: Agree on a family rule: no one gives money from a link in a message. Grown-ups type the campaign's website themselves first.

Use only made-up messages, never a real candidate or campaign. Free to use; please keep the source credit.

Education only, not financial, legal or tax advice. Not a registered investment adviser.

Sources

Primary sources

  1. FBI: election scam warning, FBI IC3 public service announcement I-101526-3-PSA, date checked: Oct 24, 2026
  2. FEC: look up a committee by name, date checked: Oct 24, 2026
  3. vote.gov, date checked: Oct 24, 2026
  4. FTC: guidance on donation requests, date checked: Oct 24, 2026