EAST TEXAS (KYTX) - With the election just weeks away, political scams are popping up in East Texas. Crooks are calling people asking for political support or participation in surveys, and they're getting valuable personal information in the process.
Deborah Brown in Tyler has gotten phone calls she doesn't trust.
"When they call, I usually don't give them the time of day." she says. "I usually hang up when they say, 'this is a political survey.' So, I don't get any further than the initial "hello."
Mechele Mills with the Better Business Bureau of East Texas says most of these scammers promise a prize.
"They're saying, 'we're conducting a political survey and if you answer these questions, you'll get a free cruise."
But, Mills says some of those questions may be about your personal and financial information.
"And then, once they get that," she says, "you'll never hear from them again. And, these people are very untraceable."
Brown has gotten that phone call herself.
"Everybody wants your money, but there's nothing free like that." she says.
Mills says especially when calls are unsolicited, you should never give out that kind of information over the phone.
"We get them quite often," says Brown. "But, we have just recently stopped even answering those calls at all."
And, Mills says that's another option. If it's a legitimate call that is important, they'll leave a message and you can decide whether or not you'd like to call them back.
And, if you want to donate money to a particular candidate, Mills says go to that candidate's website and make your donation there. Or, get the number from the candidate's website, and make that call yourself.
"You don't send money to someone who just asks for money." says Brown.
