
As we inch closer to Election Day, the FBI and cybersecurity experts are warning the public to be vigilant, as scammers are targeting voters, looking to steal their personal information and money, as well as infect their computers with malware.
Ian Marlow, the president of the cybersecurity firm FitechGelb in Boca Raton, says in some cases the scammers are posing as pollsters, campaign volunteers, and even candidates. There are also reports of fake fundraisers and fake surveys circulating.
He says it’s crucial you keep your guard up, double-checking that the website you’re visiting is legit.
“They create these amazing ads and landing pages that say, ‘Put your contribution in,’” he said. “You need to concentrate on what are those legitimate outlets in order for you to contribute and certainly it’s not going to be done in the absolute last minute with an ad that is also coupled with something you bought on Amazon.”
Marlow says because these fake sites are made to look so official, it’s crucial you pay attention to the URL as sometimes scammers will misspell one of the words or use .com instead of .gov; easy to miss if you’re not careful.
He also says a good way to protect yourself is to only access the internet through a secure Wi-Fi network. While free, public Wi-Fi may seem harmless, it could serve as an open invitation for hackers to gain access to all your personal information.