Election scams go high-tech

By SmartMoney

Political fraud is as old as the hills, and we aren't just talking about ballot-box stuffing.

Today's political scams are of a more high-tech nature, and the scammers often don't much care about election results. Instead, they seek your identity and, ultimately, your money.

Con artists are using a combination of techniques -- ranging from phishing scams to so-called typo-squatting -- to obtain valuable personal information, including Social Security, bank account and credit card numbers, says Zulfikar Ramzan, the technical director with Symantec, an Internet security firm. They then sell that data to other thieves or use the information themselves.

Many of these scams aren't new -- they're just getting a new spin to tie them to the election season, says Lillie Coney, the associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, D.C.

But while today's consumers know to be on the lookout for common bank scams and false solicitations for disaster victims, they're more likely to be fooled when these swindles are framed around the novelty of an election. That's in part because many voters are seeing campaign Web sites and e-mails for the first time, and are therefore unable to differentiate between the legitimate sites and the look-alikes, Symantec's Ramzan says. Unsolicited phone calls seeking donations are common during the political season and also open the door to scam artists.

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The 2008 presidential election is particularly fertile for con artists. Given the message of "change" being offered by both candidates, voters are hungry for information and eager to register, says Linda Sherry, a spokeswoman for Consumer Action, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. As a result, there's a wave of first-time voters as well as veteran voters who are more likely to click on e-mails offering news on the candidates or to speak with people who claim they can help with the voter registration process.

Another contributor is that more folks today are "wired" than ever before. About 45% of Americans are using the Internet, e-mail or text messaging to get political news and share thoughts about the race, according to a June survey by Pew Internet & American Life Project. That's twice as many people who did so before the previous presidential election.

Here's what voters should watch out for:

Voter registration scams

The Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers about e-mails and phone calls from supposed local election boards. Con artists ask for personal information, including a Social Security number or even a credit card number, to verify one's voter registration status.

The deadline to register in most states has passed, but eight states -- Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Wyoming -- allow Election Day registration.

The real deal: No matter what, don't give out any personal information over the phone. If a campaign phone call sounds legitimate and you'd like to make a donation, go directly to the candidate's Web site.

Likewise, if you receive an e-mail from an organization with a legitimate-sounding name claiming to represent one of the candidates, check the group's legitimacy at the Federal Election Commission's Web site. All parties that raise money for a federal election must register with the FEC.

Viruses

Here, election-oriented e-mails direct an unsuspecting computer user to a campaign-related Web site or video. Once the person clicks on the fraudulent link, a virus infects the laptop or desktop and steals personal information, such as bank account and credit card numbers, as well as passwords.

The real deal: Voters should never click on a link from an unfamiliar Web site, even if the original e-mail comes from a friend. But since mistakes could happen, installing and keeping anti-virus and Internet-security software such as Norton Internet Security up to date will help protect a computer from viruses and other malicious code, says Symantec's Ramzan.

Bogus Web sites

Misspell a candidate's name or type in the wrong domain name (such as .org instead of .com) while surfing the Web and you could be directed to a fraudulent but legitimate-looking Web site. Although most typo-squatting in political circles is used to post advertisements or pass along false information, consumers should watch out for sites that solicit campaign donations. The FTC says it's not aware of any widespread efforts this year to collect cash in this manner, but in 2004 there was a fake John Kerry Web site asking for contributions.

The real deal: There are no telltale signs that differentiate a legitimate Web site from one that's fake, so voters looking for the most up-to-date information should go directly to the following sites and bookmark them for future use: the Barack Obama-Joe Biden campaign and the John McCain-Sarah Palin campaign.

This article was reported and written by Stacey L. Bradford for SmartMoney.

Published Oct. 29, 2008