Sydney Waters, the regional director for the Cape Girardeau Better Business Bureau, gives us some helpful tips when picking out the perfect tree for your family.
(WSIL) -- We are only two weeks ahead of the presidential election. According to the Better Business Bureau, it's the perfect time for scammers to capitalize on things like surveys or polls. They can use things like political survey or polls to get your information in an inconspicuous way. And, because we are typically inundated with political propaganda during this season, a scam can be difficult to spot.
The Better Business Bureau gives some tips to stay ahead of scammers this political season.
Sydney Waters is the director at the Better Business Bureau in Cape Girardeau. She says, the BBB has seen a couple of scams really ramp up in the last few weeks. She says, she believes scammers like to capitalize on the spirit of election season, and just how easy it is to slide in a scam with political advertisements or polls.
One scam is particularly nefarious because the scammer not only gets your information, but you leave with the impression that you have placed your vote. It's called the "text to vote" scam, and Waters says, the scammer will come at you in one of two ways. Waters says the scammer starts with an unsolicited text message. Within that message, the text asks you to update your voter registration information. If you send that information back, the scammer now has some pretty private and usable data. The second form of this scam asks you to vote via text, only using that as a guise to get your information. According to election officials, you cannot place your vote via text message.
Another scam that Waters wants consumers to know about is a text message that asks you to complete a political poll or survey. The scammer tells you that upon completion, you'll receive a prize or gift. The scammer "only needs your information for shipping," but in fact, uses it to attempt to steal your identity. Now, the scammer has your personal information, and you leave the text conversation with the understanding you just placed your vote. Waters says, you will never receive a text from your election office, nor should you submit private information like that via text message. She also reiterates that no campaign should ever offer you a prize or gift for your opinion.
Waters encourages everyone to check with for more information, or BBB's "Scam Tracker" to see what scams are happening in your area. If you have any question about your voting status, Waters suggests using to check your current voting status.
