Political messaging on mobile devices has increased in recent months, flooding US voters with spam as the 2024 election approaches.
According to Proofpoint research, subscriber reports of unwanted political messages increased by 67% between June and September, continuing a trend that began in mid-year.
With this, the increase is expected to accelerate as election day and November approach.
Political action committees (PACs), parties, and candidates are the primary sources of this flood of messages.
While the majority of these communications solicit donations or support, Proofpoint warns that political spam is not always innocent.
Smishing, or messages that attempt to steal credentials or personal information, is also on the rise.
Reports of smishing scams have increased by 11.6% since the third quarter began in July, with cybercriminals using the election buzz to impersonate trusted sources.
Proofpoint's July study highlighted the growing appetite among US voters for digital news, particularly via mobile platforms.
According to the study, 60% of US adults prefer to consume news digitally, with 86% regularly accessing it via smartphones, tablets, or computers.
Most US voters (97%) now have access to mobile messaging, which has not gone unnoticed by cyber attackers.
“Cybercriminals are also exploiting these channels,” Proofpoint's study stated, adding that political impersonation and smishing tactics are increasingly blending into the daily flood of election-related content.
Despite growing awareness of fake news and scams on social media, many voters continue to place a high level of trust in mobile messaging.
This could be dangerous as cybercriminals step up their efforts to impersonate legitimate organizations and send fraudulent messages disguised as political information.
As more voters turn to mobile for election news and updates, the risks of smishing and impersonation increase.
Not to mention the fact that we reported in September about Russian-linked crypto scammers posing as Elon Musk and Donald Trump in order to dupe users into entering a fake giveaway.
The use of mobile-based political messaging has increased dramatically, not only for campaigns but also for bad actors looking to defraud unsuspecting voters.
Proofpoint data revealed a 7% increase in smishing attacks over the last nine months compared to the previous period.
This, combined with a threefold increase in mobile political spam during the first five months of the 2024 election compared to the midterms in 2022, has voters bracing for an onslaught of legitimate and malicious political content.