As the 2026 midterms approach, voters should be cautious of fake election websites that can mimic real campaign sites, potentially leading to the theft of personal information and donations. A recent study by WhoisXML API found that over 62,000 election-named domains were created since September 2025, with 13,645 of them appearing to be campaign-style addresses.

Risks of Fake Election Websites

These fake websites can be convincing, using polished product photos and familiar checkout pages to make voters believe they are supporting a legitimate campaign. However, the money and personal information provided to these sites can end up in the hands of operators with no verified campaign connection.

The study found that many of these fake websites used structures such as “[name]for[office]” or “for[state]”, making them appear credible. Additionally, 90% of the domains studied hid the registrant’s identity, and 88% had a one-year registration term, which can be a red flag for suspicious activity.

Protecting Yourself

To avoid falling victim to these fake websites, voters should be cautious when clicking on links from unexpected texts, emails, or social media comments. Instead, they should search for the candidate independently and compare the result with links from the candidate’s verified social media account or established public profile.

Voters can also use personal data removal services to reduce the personal information available through data brokers and people-search sites, making it harder for scammers to target them. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) also provides a resource to check the legitimacy of campaign websites and donation links.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.