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How to protect yourself from political scams
With just three weeks until election day, many of us are being bombarded by phone, text and email with surveys or appeals for donations. While some of them are legitimate, plenty of them are scams, and experts urge you to proceed with caution.
AUSTIN, Texas - With just three weeks until election day, many of us are being bombarded by phone, text and email with surveys or appeals for donations. While some of them are legitimate, plenty of them are scams, and experts urge you to proceed with caution.
In fact, which party or candidate your support could impact how scammers target you, your money and your personal information this election season.
"Scammers are on social media on a daily basis, and if you are posting your political preferences, they hone in to that. Then the messages start," said Heather Massey, vice president of communications with the Better Business Bureau Serving the Heart of Texas.
Many people are getting non-stop texts, some appearing to be from former President Donald Trump, others from Vice President Kamala Harris. Often times, those texts will include a link to a poll, or to make a donation.
"You’re thinking I can make a difference and really support the cause. What you don't realize is you are clicking on a faulty link. You're actually giving money to a scammer," said Massey.
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Texas toll road scam: "Smishing"
There’s a new scam going around, targeting people who drive on Texas toll roads. It involves fraudulent text messages that appear to be from TxTag or other toll agencies.
While some could be legit, Massey says you should be leery because a lot of them are fake, from people out to scam you, especially when they ask for donations.
"When you do receive these unsolicited phone calls, text, or emails, take a second and stop. These might not be from the political candidate that you're looking to potentially vote for, just because they say they are."
In addition to your money, phishing texts or calls could try to steal your password, your account or credit card number, your Social Security number, or other personal information.
During election season, those often masquerade as surveys or polls about a certain race or issue.
"When those surveys continue to go on and on, and then they get into the personal information, they don't need your credit card information. They don't need your Social Security number in order to collect their data and get those results. So be very cautious when they are asking you for that," said Massey.
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Then there are the political emails, from candidates, campaigns or political action committees, or so you think. Massey says be very careful.
"You really want to hover over those links and look at them. A lot of times, if they are not legitimate, you'll notice they're redirecting you somewhere completely different from the actual candidate's website. They're going to have different misspellings in them," said Massey.
In addition to checking those links, the BBB says prizes are a big red flag. Also, don’t answer unknown numbers and don’t provide information in response to unsolicited texts. Above all, listen to your gut.
If you come across anything sketchy this election season, report it to the BBB’s Scam Tracker.