With some key elections fast underway, many campaigns are reaching out to voters, and people are passionately speaking up for and against hot-button issues. When emotions run high, bad actors look for ways to use people’s passion to trick them. Simply said, scammers prey on emotion.
It’s easy to get swept up in the moment and take risks you might otherwise avoid. At Better Business Bureau, we can’t tell you how to vote, but we can tell you how to spot common scams so you don’t become a victim.
Be careful with political emails and text messages.
It can seem like once a candidate or political party gets your email address, you hear from them every time you check your inbox. They need your help; they want to know your point of view through a poll or survey, and they urge you to support their efforts and impact the future by donating, participating or sharing information. Many have turned to text messaging for these same efforts.
Scammers can easily mimic these campaign emails and texts — not to get your vote, but to obtain your personal information and potentially divert your contributions elsewhere.