People who plan to donate money to their favorite politician this election season should be careful they’re giving cash to the candidate and not a crook.
In the Political Donation Scam, thieves pose as campaign workers and call people seeking contributions. The fraudsters may spoof a candidate’s phone number and even use recordings of the politician or a purported virtual town hall to make the ruse appear legitimate.
At the end of the call, the thieves ask victims to pledge money by providing a credit card number.
TIPS:
- If you want to contribute to a political campaign, visit the candidate’s official website or call his or her campaign headquarters.
- Do not provide credit card or financial information over the phone to an unknown person.
For a printable version of this fraud alert, click here.
Deputy District Attorney Ben Forer explains how the scam works in this video: http://da.lacounty.gov/community/fraud-alerts/beware-donation-scams-during-election-season.
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