Do you know how to spot a fake? Take the test

With just a month until Election Day, the gloves are all the way off. But its not what Donald Trump may be saying on a stage in Butler or Kamala Harris interacting with Oprah Winfrey on a YouTube telecast, but what fakers and scammers are doing to spread misinformation and trick Americans into contributing to funds that line no ones pocket but a roomful of con artists.

Make no mistake: these bad guys are getting through. Transaction Network Services (TNS) data told ConsumerAffairs that political robocall volume has doubled since July. Efrat Tabibi, Head of Data at Guardio, said that these election fraudsters are also sending out 223% more unsolicited text messages than they did in April.

And theyre getting throughwith different pitches. Using previously unused honeypot numbers to set a trap for these scammers, TNS received political robocalls trying to direct Florida voters to illegitimate voting registration websites calls that went like this:

Hello, Yvonne. Records show that you're not registered to vote at your current address. Would you like to register to vote now so that you can vote in November? You can visit [website] to register to vote online.

Guardio added that its picked up on a rash of fake crowdfunding campaigns on legitimate crowdfunding platforms like ActBlue, Kickstarter, or GoFundMe to create fake donation sites that appear genuine, tricking people into donating money.

Enter a third study by Trend Micro, a security scam detection app builder. It revealed that a whopping 73% of people think scams have gotten worse in the past year, and almost 80% are worried someone in their family might fall victim. And get this over half of the folks who've been scammed personally know someone else who's been tricked, too.

How are you at playing detective?

The one bright spot that the positive-thinking respondents in these surveys gave was that theyve girded their electronic loins with apps that help identify scams and 96% said theyre willing to do anything they can to fight back against scammers. So, while the problem is definitely growing, it seems like people are becoming more aware and proactive about protecting themselves and their loved ones.

But, until November 5 has come and gone, these fakers will continue to ping us in every way possible to try and confuse or fleece us. In addition to the fake crowdfunding sites and phishing messages, Tabibi shared her list of the things and places she questions seriously before engaging with:

• Identity Theft: Scammers collect personal information through fake donation forms or phishing attacks, using the data for identity theft or selling it to other criminals --done via fake polls and giveaways to collect personal information from respondents, which is then used for identity theft or sold, and no prize is ever delivered.

• Unregistered or Fraudulent PACs: Scammers set up unregistered or fraudulent political action committees (PACs) that claim to support a candidate or cause but use the donations for personal expenses.

• Phone Scams & Mail Scams: Scammers make phone calls pretending to be from a political campaign or charity, asking for donations or personal information, and physical mail is sent to potential donors with misleading information or requests for donations to fake campaigns or causes.

• Cryptocurrency Scams: In this pump-and-dump scheme, scammers create hype around a new cryptocurrency supposedly endorsed by a candidate or party, launch fraudulent Initial Coin Offeringsclaiming to fund campaigns.

• Bogus Fundraising Events: Fake fundraising events are advertised, and individuals are charged for tickets or asked to donate, but the event either never happens, or the funds are misappropriated.

Throw in AI and things are getting trickier

Artificial intelligence (AI) has its fingerprints all over the election ruining candidates credibility and fueling unrest and confusion, claims Jon Clay, VP of Threat Intelligence at Trend Micro. First, theres social media.

AI-driven bots, for instance, can generate persuasive fake news articles and mimic human-like interaction on social media platforms, he said. These bots can swiftly create and disseminate misinformation, posing a significant threat to the fairness of democratic processes.

Then, theres deep fakes AI-generated videos and images where criminals and politically motivated actors can manipulate images and videos to spread misleading information about candidates.

While some states are assertive about the integrity of election ads, some arent, and even the ones that are like Indiana can fall prey to candidates who decide to rollall the marbles.

Indiana law says if theres any AI-generated content in campaign materials, it must be disclosed. However, Republican Sen. Mike Braun thought differently.

His campaign ran an ad using a photo from the South Bend Tribunethat featured his opponent,Democrat Jennifer McCormick. In the ad, the photo of the supporters holding signs saying "Jennifer McCormick for Governor" was swapped out with signs that said "No Gas Stoves!" an interesting move since McCormick never mentioned gas stoves at the event. Braun eventually added a disclosure statement saying that the images were "digitally altered or artifically generated."

How easy would it be to make an ad like Braun's? Less than 15 minutes for ConsumerAffairs. Just look:

Trend Micro researchers claimthat, just last month, social media platforms were teeming with an AI-engineered video showing presidential candidate Kamala Harris making false statements in a manipulated campaign ad. "This fake reality was shared Elon Musks X account, who defended it as 'parody,'" they noted.

Similarly, an investigation by CNN and the Centre for Information Resilience found 56 fake accounts on X, promoting the Trump-Vance ticket without evidence of campaign involvement. These accounts used images of young women, some stolen and others AI-generated, indicating a pattern of inauthentic activity, according to TrendMicro researchers.

Knowing what you know, now, how good do you think you are when it comes to calling the bluff of a fake, AI-driven political ad? See for yourself