Millions of dollars were stolen from elderly people suffering from dementia by election campaigns, according to CNN

According to a CNN investigation, millions of dollars have been raised from seniors through campaign fundraising using texting and email, primarily by the Republican-affiliated super PAC WinRed, as well as the Democratic-affiliated ActBlue.

A CNN investigation reveals how deceptive political fundraisers have misled hundreds of elderly Americans into giving away millions of dollars https://t.co/Xf1HUN5fmM

— CNN (@CNN) October 22, 2024

Hundreds of seniors, many with dementia, seem to have fallen victim to scams, losing several thousand dollars to campaign fundraisers, mainly run by Republicans, but also by Democrats.

According to CNN, when they donate to the party of their choice, seniors then receive a stream of text messages and emails from candidates and political organizations asking for immediate help.

These messages seem particularly personalized, especially those from Republicans, giving the impression that Donald Trump, Don Jr, and some Republican candidates are directly soliciting financial support from these often elderly donors with little awareness of the situation they find themselves in, according to relatives of the victims.

By clicking on a link with a pre-checked box for direct debits, and providing their bank details, this donation system, which can be weekly or monthly, often completely depletes the savings of the elderly without them being aware of it.

CNN reports that the problem is so severe that these very vulnerable people have unknowingly donated sums often in the thousands of dollars, placing them among the largest grassroots donors in the country and primarily fueling Republican political campaigns.

In one example given by CNN, a donor with multiple involuntary withdrawals reportedly made over 2,000 donations of $50, totaling over $100,000, in just a few months.

These fundraising methods are mainly used by the WinRed group, which finances Republicans. However, similar cases have been reported with ActBlue, which also operates in the Democratic camp, albeit with fewer elderly victims.

WinRed recorded 803 complaints, almost seven times as many as the 120 complaints received by ActBlue.

This content was created with the help of AI.