CLEVELAND, Ohio. — One of the things we've learned together about scammers is they follow the headlines.
The upcoming midterm election, and concerns about things like mail in ballots and voter registration, are in the news and scammers are actively targeting voters.
I learned election-related spam calls and texts are surging with some 21-million calls reported this summer alone, according to research conducted by TNS, Transaction Network Services.
One text just landed on my phone this week, totally fake, encouraging me to click the link to go to a website that it says shows I voted in 2022 and 2024.
It specifically says I should check it before the midterm election.
Other messages surfacing out there scare the recipient into believing they're not registered to vote.
They include fake links designed to steal your personal information.
"We did a review and, and what we've seen in Ohio in the last couple of weeks is a doubling of spam traffic linked with election fraud," said John Haraburda, OpenAI.
Here's the bottom line: if you get a text or call telling you there's a problem with your voter registration, don't click the link and don't call the number in the message.
Instead, go directly to your county board of elections website or the official Ohio Secretary of State election website and check your information there.
Ohio voters can verify their registration status, polling location and other election information through the state's official election website.
Because when it comes to your vote, don't let a scammer's link be your source of truth.
