Provided by the Bucks County Department of Consumer Protection:
Bucks County residents are warned to be careful not to click links in any text message from an unknown source.
Multiple residents have recently reported receiving suspicious text messages, with claims ranging from there being an issue with their voter registration status, or of a discrepancy in their voter information, claims their voter information is incorrect, or that they’re not registered to vote, their April Primary vote was not counted due to voter ID status issues, or that they would not be receiving a mail-in ballot because their identification was wrong.
Upon checking voter records of those Bucks residents who reported being contacted with these various claims, no such discrepancies or issues were found with those voters’ records, or their votes being counted. None of these claims are true and these messages did not originate from The Bucks County Board of Elections, nor any other official source.
The Bucks County Board of Elections primarily corresponds with residents via United States Postal Service mailings and, any calls from the office, would only originate from “215-348-6000” appearing on your caller ID as “County of Bucks”.
Residents are urged to be cautious and not interact with these unvetted text messages. They are from an unknown third party and potentially attempting to phish information from residents concerned that there may be an issue. Thus far, these text messages have derived from non-Bucks County area codes and ultimately instruct voters to then “call the Board of Elections” and provide a number to do so. In any case it’s best to be vigilant and skeptical of any unexpected text messages, especially ones containing potentially malicious links. Always confirm the official number or website of an agency you’re trying to contact, never clicking an unvetted link in a message or calling a number given to you from an unknown caller.
This latest attempt appears to be a potential smishing attempt. Many of us may not have heard that term before but, unfortunately it is just another method scam artists use to target consumers.
Smishing is a form of social engineering that exploits SMS, more commonly known as text messages. Text messages can contain links to such things as webpages, email addresses or phone numbers that when clicked may automatically open a browser window or email message or dial a number. This integration of email, voice, text message, and web browser functionality increase the likelihood that users will fall victim to engineered malicious activity.
These specific reports have already been escalated to the proper federal authorities for further investigation and to ensure Bucks County residents are not targeted with any potential malicious links. While there are many legitimate non-government entities that advocate for and attempt to assist people with registering to vote, it’s always safest to go directly to your local Board of Elections website, call, or visit their office.
For consumer awareness and to alert residents of what to be on the lookout for and what to avoid, we have included a screenshot of one of the text messages received by a resident. The link in the message has been blacked out so nobody is tempted to manually visit a potentially malicious site, which could lead to malware intrusion or phishing of personal information. If residents would like more information on how these smishing attacks can compromise your personal information, please visit the helpful article from the Federal Trade Commission linked here.
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General also has a great article to inform residents of various election related scams to be aware of and to learn how to protect yourself. https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/protect-yourself/consumer-advisories/beware-of-voting-scams/
The Bucks County Board of Elections encourages voters to remain vigilant. Any Bucks County resident receiving any similar smishing text messages regarding their voter registration status or fraudulently claiming to be representing the Bucks County Board of Elections, please report these occurrences directly to the Bucks County Board of Elections for further investigation.
The Board of Elections can also assist Bucks County residents who would like to register to vote, update their address, check on their registration status, request a mail in ballot, locate their polling place, or answer other election related questions. Please visit the Bucks County Board of Elections webpage for more information or call 215-348-6154. https://www.buckscounty.gov/1252/Board-of-Elections
Residents receiving any spam text messages, not just election related texts, can report them by forwarding the message to the number “7726” (SPAM) this will alert your cell provider that you believe the message is spam and it will help in putting a stop to these types of malicious messages.
Some providers such as iPhone users will see a “Report Junk” button at the bottom of a message from a sender you’ve never interacted with before. This method of reporting is also helpful, if you can safely forward the message without accidentally clicking any links embedded in the message.
Monthly Fraud Alerts brought to you by Bucks County Crimes Against Older Adults Task Force 24-hour hotline: 1-800-490-8505, Bucks County District Attorney’s Office: 215-348-6344, A Woman’s Place (AWP): 1-800-220-8116, Bucks County Area Agency on Aging: 267-880-5700, Bucks County Office of Consumer Protection: 215-348-6060, Bucks County Coroner’s Office: 215-348-3852, Bucks County Register of Wills: 215-348-6265, Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA): 1-800-675-6900, and U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services/OIG: 1-800-447-8477.
