Protect Your Personal Information and Cash During Election Season
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Collapse ▲As the final stages of the 2024 election campaign unfold, criminals are using these happenings to defraud ordinary citizens. Current events and issues can establish a context and the same tools that legitimate campaigns leverage for support are deployed to divert resources.
The most common fraud is simply asking for a donation to a campaign. No matter how the message comes in, that money may not be going to the candidate of your choice. If you decide to sponsor a candidate, do not follow any links provided in text messages, emails, or social media to protect yourself. Using a method that you prefer, contact the office or find the candidate’s official site. Follow the instructions provided or posted there. When using any search engine, do not click on the links in the sponsored ads. Unfortunately, in many cases, these are spoofed websites.
Your personal information is also of great value. The business model of the social media service providers has been to package demographic data points about you and your family, and then sell them to third parties. Information that you furnish to establish an account and the content that you produce is the raw material for this. Algorithms, a type of selection process enacted in a specific sequence, are used to infer actionable marketing intelligence. What kind of car do you drive? Are there children in your household, or pets?
A cat in Maine
We must keep in mind that the great majority of the time there is nothing sinister going on. For example, on a recent trip, I posted a photograph of my elderly aunt’s companion animal on social media. If they chose to look, my family and friends got to see the image in real-time. This is a tangible benefit. Upon arrival at home, there was a coupon for pet food in my mailbox.
Returning to our topic of the upcoming election, legitimate candidates and elected officials will use all of the channels available in their efforts. If I may say so, against this there is no law. Informed citizens should be vigilant, but not fearful. With discernment, and the exercise of sound judgment, we will all get through this season.
There are a few things that you can do to reduce risk. For example, do not open attachments or links. While it is possible to “hover” over a link to verify that it is displayed accurately, it is safer to navigate to a website using a secure browser. It is always a sound practice to check the sender’s email or telephone, to be certain that it is what you would expect. We all love to put our two cents in, but be aware that any survey, in person or online, could be bogus. Avoid making unnecessary disclosures as much as possible. Monitor all of your accounts regularly.
If you or someone in your family has any questions or concerns, please contact me directly. I can be reached by telephone at 828-837-2210, extension 6. My email is daniel_ferreira@ncsu.edu .