Understanding Voter Registration Scams!

1. AVOID UNSOLICITED OFFERS:
   If someone contacts you claiming you’re not registered to vote and offers to register you by phone, hang up. The only valid ways to register are online through official sites, by mail, or in person at a local election office.

2. REGISTER SAFELY:
   The safest option is to register at a government location or by mail. If you choose to register online, make sure you’re using a trusted source—never click on unsolicited links.

3. BE CAUTIOUS AT VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVES:
   Events like festivals and farmers markets sometimes host voter registration drives. Be aware that filled-out forms can be left out where anyone can access them. A safer option is to take a form with you, fill it out at home, and then mail it or deliver it in person to an election office.

4. BEWARE OF PHISHING SCAMS:
   Scammers often send links via phone, email, or text that may lead to phishing scams. These links are designed to collect personal data, such as passwords and Social Security numbers, or even to gain access to your devices. It’s crucial to be cautious and avoid clicking on any suspicious links or providing personal information unless you’re certain it’s through a secure, official source.

5. ROBOCALLS:
   Scammers could use fake audio for multiple purposes, from spreading misinformation to directing voters to a fraudulent donation site.
   
   Ways to protect yourself:

   • Be suspicious of robocalls and confirm whether the information is accurate. If a robocall tells you that your polling place will be closed on Election Day, for example, don’t believe it. Instead, follow up with your local election office at OCVOTE.com.

   • If you receive a suspicious call from someone trying to influence your vote, the best thing to do is just hang up.  And never trust a robocall that directs you to donate.

   • Be skeptical of unexpected calls from someone claiming to be a politician or a celebrity. In recent months, scammers have released deepfake videos of famous people such as Tom Hanks, Elon Musk and Dolly Parton for fraudulent product endorsements.

6. DONATION SCAMS:
   Cybercriminals also use fake audio to request campaign contributions. A supposed candidate may ask for a donation and tell you to push a number on your phone, which directs you to a representative. Or an actual human may call, encouraging you to donate. You may also receive emails or texts with donation links; as with bogus voter registration links, donation links could also be phishing scams.
   
   Some solicitations come from fake political action committees (PACs). The FBI defines scam PACs as “fraudulent political action committees designed to reroute political contributions for personal gain,” which is a federal crime. These tactics can be compared to phony charities that raise money following natural disasters. They frequently seem credible and often employ high-pressure, emotional appeals.
   
   WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF:

   • If you want to donate to candidates, go to their certified site. Don’t answer any phone calls, don’t click on any links in an email or text, even if it’s from somebody you recognize or you might think is reputable. Someone could have taken over their account and started spamming you.

   • Don’t rely on caller ID: SCAMMERS CAN IMPRSONATE A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN PHONE NUMBER THROUGH A TACTIC KNOWN AS SPOOFING, another reason to not answer calls. Cybercriminals only need a few seconds to record your voice and use AI to create a dialogue that could evade authentications with your financial institution or credit card company.

   • Visit the Federal Election Commission’s website and search to see if a PAC is registered. If it’s not, it’s not legal, contact the FBI: 714-939-8699.

     If you’ve been targeted by a scam PAC, contact your local FBI field office and ask to speak to an election crimes coordinator.

7. FAKE SURVEYS, PETITIONS, & POLLS:

   Opinion polls are almost as common as campaign rallies during election season, but be careful when participating in a survey or signing a petition.

   The process often seems innocuous. Someone contacts you by phone, email, text or in person to answer a few questions.

   Or you might receive an urgent email — often featuring a well-known politician’s name and photo — asking you to sign a petition and make a small contribution.

   The problem, however, is when you’re asked to provide personal information, such as your birth date and email address. Some scammers may offer a gift card or other prize as an incentive to participate in the survey, and then request your Social Security number, home address and other info — including your credit card number to cover taxes and shipping costs for your prize.

   WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF

   • A legitimate survey may ask how you to plan to vote along with your political affiliation, and surveyors may request demographic information, such as age or race. BUT DON’T SHARE MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION. Age is one thing, your birth date is another. DO NOT PROVIDE your name, address, email address, Social Security number or driver’s license number.

     As with other election scams, don’t click on survey links from unsolicited emails and texts.

     If someone conducting a survey or poll offers a prize, DON’T PARTICIPATE. Real political polls rarely offer prizes for participation and none would ask for a credit card number.

The most important thing is for you to stay safe and keep your private information, well, private.

And remember to vote. If you want to vote in person, you can, just bring the mail-in ballot that you will receive in early to mid October to your polling place. If you completed it at home you can drop it off there. Or you can vote on a ballot in the voting booth. 

Or you can drop your mail-in ballot at any of the OC Ballot boxes throughout the County (Los Alamitos Rec Center has a permanent ballot drop box in front of the offices there).