AI deepfakes, voting misinformation, fake fundraisers and other 2024 election scams ramp up

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Scammers are targeting voters across the country, from AI deepfakes on social media to fraudulent news websites or fake links claiming to register you to vote.

As Election Day approaches, we're inundated with political fundraising texts, campaign ads and message about registering to vote and where to vote; but how do you know what's real?

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"So, what you want to make sure is that you're not being preyed upon," said Chris Pierson, CEO and founder of cybersecurity company BlackCloak. "If you fall into a population that may be able to vote, might not be able to vote, hasn't registered or just doesn't understand the rules and regulations, and you could be susceptible to a, 'Hey, it's $100 for you, specifically to vote' types of charges."

You never have to pay to register to vote, and the deadline to register online in Illinois is Oct. 20. There is also grace period voter registration in Illinois that is also free, which runs from Oct. 9 through Election Day on Nov. 5, but you must register to vote in person at the Board of Elections office, a permanent polling place or any early voting site starting 15 days before Election Day. You also must vote at the same time you register if you're taking advantage of grace period registration. You can register to vote in Illinois until polls close on Election Day and cast your ballot then as well.

You can reach out to your local board of elections to register to vote, or register online with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Another scam may tell you about a fake polling location. Reach out to your board of elections to verify where to vote, or look up your polling place at the Illinois Board of Elections website.

Also look out for scammers spreading AI deepfakes.

"In terms of social media, in terms of advertisements, is the ability to create a very, very realistic voice or a very, very realistic video of a candidate is just so much easier these days. You have to actually know what you're watching," Pierson said.

Pictures show celebrities like Keanu Reeves holding a pro-Donald Trump shirt and Ryan Reynolds wearing a pro-Kamala Harris shirt; they're both fake.

"This is bipartisan. This is not targeted one way or the other. But there are individuals out there, and groups that may be doing deep fakes with misinformation," said Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. "Whether it's about out of vote or whether it's about the posture of candidates on certain positions."

Raoul said you should always cross-reference what could be fake memes, pictures and videos with trusted news outlets that vet information and attribute to several reliable sources. Raoul also warned of websites that look like real news outlets, but are not.

"So often. There are foreign actors involved with this. So you know, with the again, with the advent of AI and the easy access to AI tools, we're dealing with a lot of confusion out there, and a lot of deception," he said.

There are also fake links being blasted to you that you may think are raising funds for your favorite candidates, but can install malware on your device and trick you into giving away money.

"Fake financial donations, whether they're donations coming individually to an individual or through some type of PAC, but folks are being reached out to on text, on phone, on email to go ahead and give to a candidate, go to give to a cause, and it's fake," Pierson said. "And if you go ahead and give it money just right out of your wallet into the hands of the cybercriminals."

Political scammers are also using AI and Chat GPT to generate believable emails that are now very well written. You used to be able to weed out scam emails by looking for misspellings or bad grammar; that's no longer the case.

Always do your own research if you get a strange link or email.