Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost warned Ohioans to be on the lookout for election-related scams. Scammers never miss an opportunity to trick people out of private information. Impersonating trusted government agencies is a favorite tactic of these criminals. Government imposter scams are an effective way to get people to part with information like their Social Security number. “Scammers follow the news and create variations of common scams based on current events,” Yost said. “Among other things, the public should be on guard for scams related to COVID, charitable donations, and the upcoming election in an attempt to defraud them of personal information and money through robocalls and text messages.”
They’ll oftentimes send emails directing you to click on links to websites for government agencies. Instead of going to the actual government agency, you’re taken to a fake site that can either steal your information or download malicious software on your phone or computer. There’s also the issue of political organizations sending out messages that have an official look to them.
Watch Out For Fake Sites
Yost reminded Ohioans that legitimate government website addresses nearly always end in .gov or .us, while most political/non-profit organizations’ websites end in .org or .com.
The safest route is to not click on links in messages at all. Instead, open up a browser and go to your county board of election sites on your own. You can also head to the Secretary of State’s VoteOhio.gov website for information about voter registration, polling locations, absentee voting, and other important information about voting.
If you vote by mail, you can track your ballot using VoteOhio.gov/Track.
Secretary Yost also encouraged Ohioans to report any scams or attempts at disinformation about voting to the state by sending an email ti Report@OhioSoS.gov.
Ohioans also shouldn’t allow anyone to pressure them into donating to any political organization. Take time to research and learn about the organization. If you do choose to donate, do it my debit card, credit card, or check. Beware of anyone requesting a donation with a gift card, wire transfer, or prepaid money card. These are almost always scams.
