3 On Your Side: Election Year Scams
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With Pennsylvania and Delaware primaries behind us, and only New Jersey in our area left to cast primary ballots, many of us are hoping our summer won't be disturbed by politicians looking our vote. But in today's 3 On Your Side consumer report, as the summer temperatures heat up, so do election scams.
In a presidential election year it seems that every candidate wants your vote, wants your donation, or wants to ask your political opinion. So identity theft expert Adam Levin says, "a little paranoia is not such a bad thing."
That's because election scams pop up too, like the "re-registration scam". Levin explains, "This is where you get a phone call presumably from the board of elections where they tell you because of your failure to vote a prior election, your name has been removed from the voters rolls." Levin warns, never give out personal information over the phone. Instead reach out to your county election office if you suspect a problem.
Scam #2 is the survey scam. According to Levin, "That's where we're conducting a political survey and we're going to give you a prize for participating. Now when we're finished asking our questions, there will be some taxes, handling charges, so we're going to need your credit card information." Levin wants people to know that prizes aren't given by legitimate polling organizations. So just hang up.
The third scam involves "vote by phone". Levin says, "That's where they call you and say great news, under a new law in this state you can vote by phone but in order to get you set up we need some of your information." Simply put, Levin says, "There is no state such thing as vote by phone."
The final type of scam is often referred to as the donation scam. Levin says, "So you think that the political party is calling you or a specific candidates campaign is calling you, and they're asking you do to donate. The only problem is, it may not be."
So if you feel compelled to donate to a candidate or political cause, don't give your banking information over the phone. Instead use a credit card on an official campaign website or mail a check to a verified campaign headquarters.
For more information, visit: http://idt911.com/company/leadership/adam-levin
