Beware of election scams

The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about several scams that are based on the constant campaign advertising dominating the airwaves, news and social media.

In some cases, scammers may think that consumers who are highly sensitive to the election may be willing to part with sensitive personal information, which can put you at risk of fraudulent charges and even future identity theft. The proliferation of mass text messages and robocalls from political campaigns means consumers are bombarded with messages that can leave them vulnerable. For this reason, consumers should be aware that a call, text or email asking for their opinion could be a tipping point for fraud.

“Scammers use news events or other hooks to develop their schemes,” said Michelle L. Corey, president and CEO of BBB St. Louis. “Before you agree to donate, speak your mind, or enter a credit card number, make sure you’re dealing with a legitimate organization. Ask for the contact information of the person who is calling or texting you, or hover over an email address or website URL to see if the information fits the bill. Check the organization online or by calling the BBB.”

A few potential election scams include:

• Campaign Fundraising Scam: Phone calls, texts and emails claiming to be from an election committee or political representative may appear legitimate if they know your political affiliation and their caller ID or the sender’s name appears to be from a political organization. Before donating, write down their contact information and research the organization online to confirm it’s a legitimate organization. You may consider giving directly through an official website rather than over the phone, but make sure the page where you enter your credit card is secure.

• Voter registration fraud: Claims that you need to re-register for absentee ballots or that you haven’t voted since the last presidential election can be rejected immediately. The only time you need to register again is if you move to a new address. Do not provide personal information to register until you have checked with your state or local election commission to determine if your registration is registered.

• Election Survey Scam: Calls asking you to participate in a survey about a political campaign are very common and you are under no obligation to respond. But they should never ask you for your bank information, credit card or other sensitive personal financial information. If they say you might win a prize but you have to enter your credit card to cover taxes, it’s probably a scam and you shouldn’t give them the information.

• Telephone voting fraud: The only legal method to vote in a general election is at an official polling place, at the election commission, or by mailing an absentee ballot received by the election commission. If you receive a phone call asking you to vote by phone, hang up.

• Impersonation: This scam uses real audio clips of candidate voices, possibly taken from speeches or media interviews. Digital technology has made these recordings sound very realistic. At some point, the applicant will ask for a donation and ask you to press a button to be redirected to an agent, who will then collect your credit card information. Since real politicians use pre-recorded conversations, it’s hard to tell which ones are fake.

The BBB reminds consumers to be skeptical when receiving unsolicited phone calls, texts or emails asking for money or other personal information. If you suspect you’ve been solicited by a scammer, report it to local law enforcement, the Attorney General’s office, or the BBB. If you suspect voting fraud, report it to your local election board or the Secretary of State’s office.

Consumers should follow these other tips to avoid election fraud:

• Donate directly to the campaign office. Donations made over the phone may be valid, but to ensure you are donating directly to the campaign, donors should make either through the candidates’ official website or at a local campaign office.

• Watch out for fake calls. Your caller ID may indicate that someone from Washington, D.C. or a campaign office is contacting you, but scammers can fake this by using phone number spoofing technology.

• Beware of reward offers. Just shut down any political pollster who claims you can win a prize for taking a survey. Political polling companies rarely use rewards, so this is a red flag (especially if they ask you to pay shipping or taxes to claim them).

• Do not give out personal or banking information. Political pollsters may ask for information about your vote or political affiliation and even demographic information such as your age or race, but they don’t need your Social Security number or credit card information.

• Research fundraising organizations before donating. Be especially careful with links that come to you via email or social media and don’t click on them. Instead, go directly to an organization’s website by typing the URL into your browser or using a search engine.

For more BBB tips or to research a company, go to BBB.org or call 888-996-3887.