Blake Dowling: Staying alert to election cycle scams

United States election confusion and Community vote or voting crisis concept as hands holding votes casting ballots in a tangled American flag as voters confused with 3D illustration elements.

Election season is crazy enough — more so this week as Hurricane Helene rocked our state; I hope everyone is safe, sound and drying out.

Tensions are always high in elections, mailers come in waves, and TV ads (both pro and con) running back-to-back are the norm.

And now we must deal with hackers, con artists and other criminals trying to get in the mix.

Plus, foreign nation-states are pounding our computers to cause additional chaos and disinformation. Lastly, we have each other blasting opinions on social media, hoping to become the first person in history to make a political post that made someone change their mind.

If you haven’t heard of Facebook’s “snooze for 30 days” function, it’s quite useful.

I highly recommend it for your over-opinionated friends, and we all have one or two — on both sides of the aisle.

While we can’t stop people from being, well, people, we can look for common scams that rear their heads each election season. An excellent place to start is with mailers.

Beware flyers containing a slate of who to vote for; there are reports in Florida of “official” party mailers with lists of “endorsed” candidates. There are reports about fake mailers and even a phony voter guide in the Jacksonville area.

Do your homework; that’s what the internet was made for. Also, read the disclaimer at the bottom of a mailer, which says who paid for it. If there isn’t one, it’s almost definitely fake (and illegal).

Next, we need to watch individuals at public events trying to register you to vote. You can register to vote by mail, in person or online; check for yourself. Notice how it does not list that you can register to vote from some kid at the mall with a vape in one hand and an iPad in the other.

If you are approached by someone pushing this kind of scam, wave a cop over and ask the person to go over it with you and the officer to ensure it is legit.

You should send them packing fast and never let them touch your phone — and don’t download an app if they say to.

If you did download a malicious app, it could track everywhere you go and everything you do, sharing it with hackers.

Remember the old saying: “Don’t talk to strangers?” Well, don’t talk to strangers with an iPad in hand, those who tell you to download things or visit a site. Just don’t do it.

Cybercriminals don’t just try and cash in with bogus voter registration scams; they also make fake political action committees (PACs) to get you to donate.

This could happen via phone — robocalls, voice impersonation, maybe even a real person — or they could come in by text or email. Be very careful of these.

If you want to donate to a candidate, go to their official website and do it there.

Now, moving on to the polls and surveys. Polls are a big part of the process; we hear about them throughout election season — with some fake ones mixed in.

The red flags to look out for are phone polls asking for personal information. A standard survey asks how you feel about the *blank* issue, what you think about *blank* candidate, etc. That’s it.

If they ask for a birth date or Social Security number, hang up.

Also, hang up if they offer a prize for completing the survey and ask for a credit card number.

These are common tactics in the fake poll and survey world. Don’t rely on caller ID to validate these calls; they also know how to fake them.

If you fall for any of these, you may find your credit card stolen, passwords harvested and sold, or you become a victim of identity theft.

The first two are headaches, but you can always cancel a card and change the password; complete identity theft takes time to recover.

If you have been a victim, talk to someone — law enforcement, lawyer, IT professional, banker.

Don’t sit on it; it will only worsen as more time passes. Visit IdentityTheft.gov.

Furthermore, these scams damage our democracy by spreading fake news and instilling even more distrust in campaigns and elections.

Remember the adage: If you see something, say something: Florida Elections Commission — Complaints (state.fl.us).

These days, voting and elections might feel like an obstacle course, but (most importantly) they are a privilege.

I recommend calmly sifting through all the noise, ignoring the odd texts and strange emails, filtering out hate, and dodging cybercriminals.

See you all at the polls, and don’t let anyone stand in your way, even snarky regional columnists named Gary.