The Human Cost of Scam PACs: Read these donor stories
Scam PACs don’t just waste money. They target and adversely affect real people — disproportionately elderly donors but also many other donors as well who give because they care deeply about the future of the country.
A 2024 CNN investigation documented how aggressively political fundraising operations target elderly donors with high-pressure tactics, extracting repeated small donations that add up to significant sums. Many donors with whom we spoke did not realize they were giving to a PAC at all — they believed they were donating directly to a candidate or to the Democratic Party. When donors learn that 80- 90 cents of every dollar that they gave was siphoned off by consultants and fundraising vendors, the reaction is consistent: they feel betrayed. That betrayal doesn’t just hurt the individual donor — it erodes trust in the entire Democratic fundraising ecosystem, making it harder for legitimate candidates and organizations to raise the money that they need to win elections.
These are just a few of the dozens of stories we heard from donors:
Donor Interview #1 (anonymous, interview conducted February 2026)
A Texas-based donor made 82 donations totaling $1,449 to Every State PAC over a four-month period in 2024. He did not remember the PAC by name and had no recollection of ever choosing to donate to it. He described having “gone very deep in that stuff” and has been working with ActBlue and PayPal to recover donations made to multiple PACs he did not knowingly support. He attributed many of the charges to ActBlue’s recurring donation features, which he said had repeatedly tricked him. He described his total losses across scam PACs as “very substantial” but declined to specify an amount. When informed that Every State PAC has never contributed a single dollar to any federal candidate despite raising over $1.17 million, he called it “disgusting” but said he was not surprised. He has not recovered his donations to Every State PAC specifically. He consented to having his experience included anonymously.
Donor Interview #2 (anonymous, interview conducted February 2026)
A California-based donor made 26 donations totaling $18,075 to Every State PAC over several years. She remembered the PAC by name and believed it was a legitimate organization similar to other state-focused Democratic groups she supports. She donated because the PAC’s emails claimed it was targeting key elections state by state and supporting Democratic candidates — messaging she found credible because it resembled pitches from established organizations she already funded. She confirmed that the PAC’s endorsements of candidates like Jon Ossoff and Sherrod Brown were a direct reason she donated: “Absolutely. That’s why I donated.” When informed that Every State PAC has never contributed a single dollar to any federal candidate and invested just a few percent in Independent Expenditures for a non-endorsed candidate, she said: “I want that money back.” She had not previously attempted to contact the PAC for a refund and noted they would be difficult to reach. She was still receiving solicitation emails from Every State PAC as of the date of the interview. She indicated she intends to work with ActBlue to attempt to recover her donations and redirect the funds to legitimate organizations and candidate campaigns. She consented to having her experience included anonymously
Donor Interview #3 (anonymous, interview conducted February 2026)
David recalls donating to National Democrats after receiving a fundraising text message. At the time, he believed the organization was affiliated with the Democratic Party. The PAC’s name, logo, and branding led him to assume his contribution would support Democratic candidates or party efforts.
When asked about the donation, David said he expected his money would help fund traditional campaign activities, such as sending letters to voters. He did not recall seeing specific candidate endorsements and had not realized that the organization was not formally affiliated with the Democratic Party.
“I’m embarrassed,” he said. “I usually do research and try not to throw money at things.”
He said he only recently realized the PAC was not connected to the Democratic Party and remembered that the organization had contacted him again under a slightly different name.