You spot a campaign shirt online that makes you laugh.The site carries the candidate's name.
It also has polished product photos and a familiar checkout page.So, you assume the store supports the campaign.A fake election website can copy enough campaign cues to make that assumption feel reasonable.
Your money and personal information could then reach an operator with no verified campaign connection.New research provided to CyberGuy by WhoisXML API, an internet intelligence company that analyzes domain, IP and DNS data, tracked 62,081 election-named domains created since September 2025.Researchers identified 13,645 addresses that read like campaign sites based on their names.The research classifies only a portion of the domains as campaign-style addresses.
Legitimate campaigns, supporters, merchants and domain investors may control many of them.However, researchers also found live storefronts that used candidates' names while selling merchandise and accepting donation-style payments.
That smaller group creates the clearest risk for you.FAKE PASSWORD-MANAGER ALERTS COULD PUT YOUR VAULT AT RISKVoters should verify campaign websites, donation links and committee disclaimers before entering personal or payment information.(Getty Images)CyberGuy Live: Missed "Sick of Spam?" Get the replay and checklistOur free CyberGuy Live class, "Sick of Spam?", has ended, but you can still watch the full replay and download our spam-stopping checklist.
Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson walks you step by step through simple ways to reduce robocalls, spam texts, junk email and unwanted messages.You’ll also learn how to curb political texts, clean up your inbox and spot messages that could put your personal information at risk.Get the free replay and checklist now at CyberGuyLive.com.Why fake election websites surge before the midtermsNational elections create a rush for online real estate.
Campaign teams want memorable web addresses before someone else claims them.Supporters may launch f...