Protect yourself from Scam PACs
You don’t need to be an FEC analyst to avoid scam PACs. Here are five things every donor can do:
- Review PAC spending on the Federal Election Commission website
- Check the PAC’s website for evidence of any program or electoral activity
- Avoid PACs that hide leadership or vendors and relationships to vendors
- Carefully read all PAC political texts and emails soliciting donations
- Report political spam and keep it out of your inbox.
Learn More
ScamBusters is proud to offer a free (virtual) class to educate you: – about good and bad political action committees (PACs), – why and how you’re targeted – how to identify potential fraudulent PACs, and – where you can be assured your hard earned money goes to the causes you care about, instead of grifters.
Political Fundraising: Legal or a Scam?
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Request a Refund
Did you see an ActBlue charge on your statement that you didn’t expect? ActBlue does their best to honor requests for refunds. ActBlue cannot issue refunds for a change in political or personal opinion or the cancellation of an event.
All refund requests are subject to the availability of the funds and refunds for contributions older than three months (90 days) are not guaranteed.
Request a refund as soon as possible after you find an error. If you need ActBlue support, use the ActBlue support request form.
Report Misleading Solicitations
If you’ve received a deceptive fundraising solicitation by email, text message or phone or if you believe a PAC is misleading donors, report it to ActBlue through ABJail.org. ABJail tracks PACs operating on the ActBlue platform that may be violating ActBlue’s terms of service through misleading fundraising practices. Reports submitted through ABJail help identify bad actors and build the case for deplatforming.
Contact Us
If you are a donor who has been contacted by a PAC that you believe is deceptive, or if you’ve discovered that your donations were not used as promised, we want to hear from you. Your story helps us build the case for accountability. Contact us using the Contact Page Form.
Share this Website
As one of the donors we interviewed said: “I never realized that scam PACs could solicit funds through ActBlue until a friend warned me about it last month. Please share this site with your family and friends – especially seniors and people who are getting overwhelmed by spam emails and texts.
Volunteer with Scambusters
We welcome volunteers who can help us to research PACs, interview and educate donors, and educate other grassroots organizations. Contact us.