AUGUSTA, Maine — Election season typically comes with phone calls and emails from campaigns asking for your support or conducting a poll. But beware, scammers take full advantage of your willingness to back a candidate or a cause.
Paula Fleming with the Better Business Bureau of New England has a few red flags to watch out for this time of year.
"Scammers prey on emotion, so when you're looking at your email, take a deep breath," she said.
Fleming added many New Englanders have already fallen victim to scams this political season, emails, phone calls, and texts. Before taking part in a survey or donating to a campaign, she recommended doing a little research.
"If they are saying that you're going to receive a prize, it's a red flag. Legitimate pollsters don't usually offer a prize, I've never heard of it actually happening legitimately," Fleming said. "Know what pollsters don't need. So, they might ask for demographic information or what party you align yourself with. [Those are] legitimate questions. They do not ask for birth dates and Social Security and financial information."
"Don't answer unknown numbers," Fleming said. "So if you see a call coming in [that you don't recognize], just let it go. Listen to your gut — common sense. If it seems suspicious, hang up the phone, delete the text, or delete the email."
Texts from scammers are getting more creative, preying on your deepest fears, like this one: "It looks like it's a legitimate source. It came from their bank asking if they really made a donation. Obviously, again, your emotions take over, and you're like, 'No, I didn't make a donation.' You automatically hit the no button. The scammer calls then after getting that 'no' response and asks for their account login, numbers, and passwords. And this is all an attempt to get your information. So you have to be extremely cautious," Fleming warned.
"The best thing to do is to not respond. Just to delete and block. You can report spam very simply using your iPhone or your Droid or whatever device you use," Fleming said.
If you get a text or phone call like that, and it makes you nervous, call your bank or credit card company directly to ask them if it's legitimate or to report the scam.
Learn more about protecting yourself from cyber scams here.
