Election season is when the phonies come out, and we're not just talking about the candidates.
These phonies will call, e-mail or maybe knock on your door and tell you they're raising money for campaigns. They'll ask you to donate to their candidate, or perhaps for a cause such as health care reform or veterans' needs.
Before you open your wallet, write a check or recite your credit card number, think about what you are doing.
How do you know the person begging for your hard-earned dough really is connected with the candidate or the cause? Smooth talkers abound during the campaign season, and that guy or gal could be a crook.
"This year, nothing is a bigger story in the United States than the 2016 presidential election. Watch out for cons that prey on would-be political donors," the Better Business Bureau warned recently.
"Some of these calls are outright scams, and providing your credit card number and personal information opens you up to the risk of fraudulent charges and identity theft," the BBB said. "Even if the caller is not a scammer, some groups may be poorly managed and not actually spend the money the way they describe on the phone."
If the caller demands immediate action, that's always a bad sign, the bureau warned. True candidates and causes should be willing to give you some time to think it over.
Caller ID can be 'spoofed'
When you're trying to determine if the request is legitimate, don't rely on what your caller ID says, because technology makes it easy to commit "spoofing," where a crook makes a phony number appear on your phone. Your phone might say the call is coming from a political center such as Washington, D.C., but it could be coming from anywhere, even another country.
