This Political “call to Action” May Actually Be a Scam.
I’m just a humble immigrant, but as a mere (legal!) visitor to the United States, I can’t help but notice that the country is, shall we say, politically divided these days (sorry if that sounds harsh). It seems international scammers have noticed this too—and are exploiting it with sophisticated tactics.
Recently, investor Fred Benenson blogged about a sophisticated phishing campaign targeting SendGrid users. The scammers sent emails claiming the company would add a large “Support ICE” button at the bottom of every outgoing email unless users opted out. The emails also included a large blue button promising to disable the message. Clicking the button, of course, led to a fake version of SendGrid, allowing the scammers to steal login credentials.
As for scams, this isn’t a bad option: phishing emails are most effective when they induce a sense of panic—this makes you less likely to evaluate them critically and simply act. It’s not hard to imagine how effective this particular email could be, given the current political climate. Let’s say you run a company selling fair-trade coffee—you probably don’t want to see a giant “Support ICE” button under your signature right now.
But the ploy wasn’t just aimed at left-wing organizations: variations on the theme claimed the company would also add banners supporting LGBT+ issues and the Black Lives Matter movement. You see, the difference in political messages isn’t the scam’s primary goal, but rather an attempt to panic business owners by displaying “incorrect” values, so they’ll click the link and provide their credentials. Scammers use psychological tricks to lure their victims in, all aimed at making you lose your rational thinking. Exploiting America’s political divide seems to be a great way to do just that.
Political phishing schemes are nothing new.
This is just the latest example of fraud using politics as a tool. Back in 2020 , a fake Black Lives Matter voting campaign distributed malware, posing as a local government official soliciting feedback on the then-rapidly growing political movement. People on both sides of the political spectrum ended up clicking the links and becoming infected.
Then there are campaigns where people pretend to be politicians and solicit donations: back in 2024, Lifehacker reported on a wave of political donation scams that erupted during the presidential election. This trend continues to grow , according to fraud expert Stacy Wood, writing for Psychology Today. “What makes it particularly challenging for consumers and voters is that legitimate campaign workers use many of the same common persuasion techniques as scammers,” she writes.
All of this suggests that international scammers have equal access to American media, are aware of our political differences, and are effectively using them to manipulate your emotions and steal your money.
How to recognize a politically themed phishing attack
What can you do to protect yourself? First, be wary of scammers and always treat your email with suspicion. Before clicking on links from unknown senders or spam emails, hover your cursor over them to ensure they lead to a legitimate-looking website. Better yet, avoid clicking on links altogether and go directly to the website of the service you need by typing its name into your browser.
Remember that it’s easier to fall for scams than you think , so it’s best to be skeptical, especially when you encounter a call to action designed to make you panic.