--- title: "FBI warns of AI-driven election scams ahead of midterms" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/fbi-warns-of-ai-driven-election-scams-ahead-of-midterms" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/fbi-warns-of-ai-driven-election-scams-ahead-of-midterms" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/fbi-warns-of-ai-driven-election-scams-ahead-of-midterms.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/fbi-warns-of-ai-driven-election-scams-ahead-of-midterms" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-10-18T04:05:27.147Z" source_reported: "2026-10-18T03:34:00.000Z" updated: "2026-10-18T04:05:27.147Z" trust_score: 80 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 30 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-19T02:30:15.109571+00:00" --- # FBI warns of AI-driven election scams ahead of midterms *Agencies alert officials and public to fake emails, texts, and cloned voices used by hackers.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 80 of 100, higher is better. Trust 80: multiple independent outlets cite FBI/CISA alert and name deputy inspector Brendan Donahue as source. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95: explains relevance, quotes officials, separates facts, provides dates and next steps, written cohesively. - Hype 30 of 100, lower is better. Hype 30: mild clickbait in some digests but overall language remains measured. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The FBI and CISA issued a joint alert on 16 October 2026, warning of AI-driven threats to the US midterm elections. - Hackers may use AI-generated fake emails and texts to target election officials, candidates, and the public. - The FBI also warned of scammers cloning candidates' voices to solicit fake donations and harvest personal data. - The alert referenced "super intelligence," a term associated with Donald Trump, as a technology enhancing fraudulent messages. The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a joint alert on 16 October 2026, warning that hackers may use artificial intelligence to target election officials, candidates, and the public ahead of the 3 November 2026 midterm elections. The agencies cautioned that AI-generated fake emails and text messages could be used to steal sensitive information and disrupt the electoral process. The alert noted that "election officials, candidates, and their political organizations are attractive targets to malicious cyber criminals." Advances in AI could make phishing attempts more convincing, according to the alert. It specifically referenced "super intelligence," a term associated with former President Donald Trump, as a technology that could make fraudulent messages appear more authentic. The FBI also warned that scammers are cloning candidates' voices and using their names to solicit fake donations and harvest personal data. ## Disagreement on specific threats While the FBI and CISA alert warned of AI-generated fake emails and texts, and the FBI separately warned of cloned voices, the reports do not all detail the same specific threats. The Times of India, Channel News Asia, Investing.com, South Florida Reporter, regionalmedianews.com, Money, The Epoch Times, cybernoz.com, National Cyber Security, CNN Brasil, DiarioBitcoin, La República, WTVB, PressNewsAgency, The Register, IT Security News, Help Net Security, and The Constitution Study all mention the AI-generated fake emails and texts. However, only the Times of India, cybernoz.com, IT Security News, and Help Net Security mention the specific threat of cloned candidate voices. ## What the coverage left out None of the reports printed below mention the US Postal Inspection Service's investigation into letters containing an unidentified substance sent to state election officials and lawmakers' offices, a fact established by the FBI and the US Postal Inspection Service. Furthermore, none of the left-rated outlets covered this story at all. ## Who covered it Shares of the 9 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 67% (6) - Right: 33% (3) 10 of 19 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-19T02:30:15.109571+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 90 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-19T03:15:08.030Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports led on the joint alert from the FBI and CISA regarding AI-powered cyber threats ahead of the midterm elections. These reports highlighted that hackers could use convincing fake emails and text messages to steal sensitive information. They also noted the alert's reference to "super intelligence," a term associated with Donald Trump, as a technology that could enhance the authenticity of fraudulent messages. Channel News Asia, Investing.com, South Florida Reporter, WTVB, The Register, and PressNewsAgency all carried this core message. ### Right - The right-rated reports from The Times of India, regionalmedianews.com, and The Epoch Times focused on the FBI and CISA's warning about AI-powered cyber threats targeting election officials and the public. The Times of India, in its full report, detailed how hackers could use fake emails and texts to steal sensitive data and mentioned the investigation into suspicious mailings sent to election officials. regionalmedianews.com and The Epoch Times, as digests, conveyed the general warning about AI-driven threats. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 2 - high: 5 - unknown: 10 - veryHigh: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Investing.com](https://investing.com/news/politics-news/us-tells-election-officials-to-be-on-guard-against-aipowered-tricks-ahead-of-midterms-4954542) — US tells election officials to be on guard against AI-powered tricks ahead of midterms - [South Florida Reporter](https://southfloridareporter.com/scammers-are-using-politicians-names-to-steal-your-money-ahead-of-midterms) — Scammers Are Using Politicians' Names to Steal Your Money Ahead of Midterms - [regionalmedianews.com](https://regionalmedianews.com/news/national/politics/us-tells-election-officials-to-be-on-guard-against-ai-powered-tricks-ahead-of-midterms) — US tells election officials to be on guard against AI-powered tricks ahead of midterms - Regional Media News - [Money](https://money.com/election-scams-fake-campaign-donations-merchandise) — Scammers Are Using Politicians' Names to Steal Your Money Ahead of Midterms - [The Epoch Times](https://theepochtimes.com/us/scammers-impersonating-midterm-candidates-fbi-warns-6104893) — Scammers Impersonating Midterm Candidates, FBI Warns - [cybernoz.com](https://cybernoz.com/scammers-clone-candidates-voices-to-steal-cash-and-voter-data-ahead-of-2026-midterms-fbi-warns) — Scammers clone candidates’ voices to steal cash and voter data ahead of 2026 midterms, FBI warns - [Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-mid-term-elections/news/us-tells-election-officials-to-guard-against-ai-powered-cyber-threats-ahead-of-midterm-elections/articleshow/134997494.cms) — US tells election officials to guard against AI-powered cyber threats ahead of midterm elections - [National Cyber Security](https://nationalcybersecurity.com/uncle-scam-wants-you-to-cough-up-your-cash-and-personal-data-fbi-warns-ahead-of-midterms-cybercrime-infosec) — Uncle Scam Wants You … to cough up your cash and personal data, FBI warns ahead of midterms | #cybercrime | #infosec - National Cyber Security Consulting - [CNN Brasil](https://cnnbrasil.com.br/internacional/eua-alertam-autoridades-sobre-golpes-baseados-em-ia-antes-das-midterms) — U.S. Alert Authorities on AI-Based Strikes Before the Midterms - [DiarioBitcoin](https://diariobitcoin.com/estados-unidos/fbi-y-cisa-alertan-sobre-estafas-con-ia-antes-de-las-elecciones-legislativas-de-ee-uu) — FBI and CISA Warn About AI Scams Before U.S. Legislative Elections - [Reuters](https://reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-tells-election-officials-be-guard-against-ai-powered-tricks-ahead-midterms-2026-10-16) — US tells election officials to be on guard against AI-powered tricks ... - [La República](https://larepublica.co/globoeconomia/eee-uu-insta-a-estar-alerta-ante-enganos-basados-en-ia-de-cara-a-elecciones-de-medio-termino-4504446) — EEA Urges to Be Alert to AI-Based Deceptions in the Face of Mid-Term Elections - [Channel News Asia](https://channelnewsasia.com/business/us-tells-election-officials-be-guard-against-ai-powered-tricks-ahead-midterms-6466731) — US tells election officials to be on guard against AI-powered tricks ahead of midterms - [WTVB](https://wtvbam.com/2026/10/16/us-tells-election-officials-to-be-on-guard-against-ai-powered-tricks-ahead-of-midterms) — US tells election officials to be on guard against AI-powered tricks ahead of midterms - [PressNewsAgency](https://pressnewsagency.org/us-tells-election-officials-to-be-on-guard-against-ai-powered-tricks-ahead-of-midterms) — US tells election officials to be on guard against AI-powered tricks ahead of midterms - [The Register](https://theregister.com/cyber-crime/2026/10/16/uncle-scam-wants-you-to-cough-up-your-cash-and-personal-data-fbi-warns-ahead-of-midterms/5303512) — Uncle Scam Wants You … to cough up your cash and personal data, FBI warns ahead of midterms - [IT Security News - cybersecurity, infosecurity news](https://itsecuritynews.info/scammers-clone-candidates-voices-to-steal-cash-and-voter-data-ahead-of-2026-midterms-fbi-warns) — Scammers clone candidates’ voices to steal cash and voter data ahead of 2026 midterms, FBI warns - [Help Net Security](https://helpnetsecurity.com/2026/10/16/usa-2026-midterm-election-scams) — Scammers clone candidates' voices to steal cash and voter data ahead of 2026 midterms, FBI warns - [The Constitution Study](https://constitutionstudy.com/2026/10/16/scammers-impersonating-midterm-candidates-fbi-warns) — Scammers Impersonating Midterm Candidates, FBI Warns ## Questions **What is the main warning from the FBI and CISA?** The FBI and CISA warned that hackers may use artificial intelligence to create convincing fake emails and text messages to target election officials, candidates, and the public ahead of the 3 November 2026 midterm elections. They also cautioned that scammers could clone candidates' voices for fraudulent purposes. **What technology is mentioned in the alert?** The alert referenced "super intelligence," a term associated with former President Donald Trump. This technology is said to be helping hackers improve fraudulent emails and text messages, making them appear more authentic and convincing. **What specific threats are mentioned by the FBI?** The FBI warned that hackers could use AI-generated fake emails and texts to steal sensitive information. Additionally, the FBI separately warned that scammers are cloning candidates' voices and using their names to solicit fake donations and harvest personal data. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/fbi-warns-of-ai-driven-election-scams-ahead-of-midterms. 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