The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued a warning that
scammers likely will be taking advantage of the upcoming elections by
pretending to be pollsters, campaign volunteers, fundraisers, and even
candidates. Scammers take advantage of anything in the news, a disaster, major
crime, or other event that they think can fool the public in giving over their
money and identity information.
The BBB expect scammers to take advantage of the elections
in one of three ways:
·
Fundraising- They may claim that they are raising
funds for a political candidate or a specific cause. People receiving this type
of phone call report that callers are pushy and demand immediate action.
·
Polling- Many legitimate pollsters make phone
calls to ask questions of citizens. Scammer pollsters may offer a prize for
taking your time. After a series of legitimate sounding questions, the scammer
may ask for your credit card number to pay for “shipping and taxes” for your
prize. Legitimate survey companies do not offer prizes or gifts and do not ask
for the credit card number.
·
Impersonation- Scammers may use recordings of
real political candidates to ask for a “special contribution.” Digital recordings
can be doctored to sound like anyone and can be put together to give any message.
Legitimate political candidates often use recordings to deliver their campaign
messages over the phone which makes it difficult to determine which call is
real or fake.
The BBB suggests the following actions to avoid political scams,
·
Donate directly to a political campaign office.
·
Watch for spoofed calls.
·
Beware of prize offers.
·
Do not give out personal or banking information.
·
Research fundraising organizations before
donating.
Better Business Bureau:
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