Millions were stolen from elderly people during this election cycle

According to a CNN investigation, millions of dollars have been raised from seniors through election fundraising campaigns using text messages and emails, mainly by the Republican-affiliated super PAC WinRed, as well as ActBlue, associated with the Democratic Party.

Hundreds of elderly people, many with dementia, have allegedly fallen victim to scams, losing many thousands of 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, which give the impression that Donald Trump, Don Jr, and some Republican candidates are directly soliciting financial support from these donors, who are often elderly and unaware 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 elderly people 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 donnars, 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 would have made more than 2,000 donations of $50, totaling more than $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.