Scammers are targeting our cell phones and email inboxes this month. What to watch for and how you may be able to block them.
Over the next few weeks, campaigns will be lighting up our phones with calls and text messages asking for our support. But it is tough to know if they are legitimate or not. You want to ensure your donation and your vote are going to your candidate, not a scammer.
Abby Brinkman is tired of the political texts that have been bombarding her phone.
“I think it’s annoying personally,” she said.
Rick Murphy never knows what to believe.
“Some are true,” he said, “some are scams. You got to make your mind up.”
What to watch for the next few weeks
According to FightCyberCrime.org, scammers might come after your money or information this election season through:
Political donation scam texts and emails Fake surveys and polls And voter registration scam texts
Steve Earls, head of cybersecurity for ID Shield, said, “If I receive a prompt to donate money or to discuss my personal information, and provide any of that, it’s immediately a red flag.”
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Earls says to always be proactive, and verify who sent a text, email or social media message.
“But never respond via that communication channel,” he cautioned. In other words, if a campaign or election official says they need to hear from you, call their number from their website, not the number in the text message or email.
He says never click links you dont recognize. Instead, go directly to a campaigns official website.
And, he says, if you get a suspicious phone call, dont engage.
“You don’t want them to record your voice,” Earls said, “because we’re starting to see voices being recorded. It doesn’t take that many words to get an AI (program) relatively cheaply to mimic someone.”
How to stop unwanted texts?
Want political messages to simply stop?
On an iPhone, look for “Filter Unknown Senders” in the message settings On an Android, choose “Spam Protection” in the message settings
Michael Wilson says it’s getting so bad that he needs to do something.
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“I know it’s that time of year,” Wilson said, “but it is not something I want to deal with on a daily and every other hour basis.”
So be on guard for scam messages, and consider message blockers if the texts are getting out of hand, so you don’t waste your money.
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