Election Day is crucial to our democracy. It’s our opportunity to use our voices and participate in the running of our country.
Unfortunately, many people use voting season as a pretense to steal your funds or your personal information. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) warn of increased scam activity around this time of year. Be on the lookout for these schemes!
1. Last-minute campaign contributions
In this scam, you’ll receive an email, text, call, or perhaps an in-person visit from someone who asks you for a last-minute donation before the election. These funds never make it near your candidate’s campaign. At best, the crook keeps your money. At worst, they steal your card information and rack up a huge bill.
Originally, you may think these communications are legitimate. After all, who else but a legitimate campaign would have access to your contact information, political affiliation, or address? In reality, voter registration is publicly available in most states. A quick search can reveal your party affiliation and candidate preference! It doesn’t take long to scrub social media and public records for the rest.
To avoid this scam, give proactively. Seek out your candidate’s website and donate there.
2. Voter re-registration
Going to vote can mean dealing with the frustrations of bureaucracy. Did you register to vote? Did you miss the last election? Are you sure of your registration status?
Voter re-registration scammers use questions like these to leverage your uncertainty against you. They’ll claim your name has been removed from voter rolls, and ask for your personal information (like address or SSN) to restore it. This information won’t end up on a voter registration form – the scammer will use it to steal your identity.
Beat this scam using the same public records scammers use. A quick search on your state’s Secretary of State website will reveal whether you’re registered to vote.
3. Opinion polling
Everyone wants a preview of election results, leading to thousands of pre-election polls. To incentivize participation, survey companies offer rewards for participation. That’s the “in” for this scam.
A fraudster will call and take you through a general survey. Then, they’ll tell you you’ve earned a thank-you prize. You only need to pay a small “processing fee” using a major credit card or give them your account information so they can directly deposit the “prize.” Of course, there is no prize and there’s probably no poll. Scammers are using the pretext of a poll to gain access to your personal information.
Never give out personal information in a call you didn’t initiate, and never trust anyone who asks you to pay a fee before they give you a prize.
Whoever you vote for, it’s your right to make your voice heard. Don’t let criminals prevent you from doing your civic duty!
