How to tell if a political text message is a scam
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Election Day is getting closer, and with each day comes more of those political calls and texts. But how do you separate the legitimate ones from the fakes?
Mt. Lebanon resident Ric Stotter said he got a voting registration text message but instead of clicking on it, he called KDKA-TV. The message said, "We have you in our records as not signed up to receive a ballot in the mail. Sign up in 2 minutes at" and then a link.
"You don't know if it's legit or if it's a scam. So I think it's better to go to the Pennsylvania website," Stotter said.
KDKA Investigates reached out to Allegheny County spokeswoman Abigail Gardner and learned this particular text campaign actually does send people to a legitimate site with the URL pavoterservices.pa.gov. But many messages will be bogus, sometimes even asking for last-minute donations.
To help avoid scams, always start at the official Pennsylvania Department of State website to check your status and ballot preferences. Most local boards of elections will not send out direct text messages. Remember third party groups sending these texts could be using outdated or incorrect data. Make sure you look closely at the URL in the link -- you want to end up at a .gov site or .us.
Ultimately, Stotter decided to steer clear of clicking any unsolicited messages.
"I'm going with that decision. I'm registered and I should get my ballot and I should vote," he said.
If the unwanted political texts or calls get unbearable in the coming weeks, remember you can always send it to junk or simply block the number.