It’s election season, and the surge of political ads—through text messages, social media posts, emails, and phone calls—provides cybercriminals with an opportunity to launch phishing attacks.  These criminals craft fake ads that closely resemble legitimate political promotions, often embedding malicious links. If you click on one, you may be directed to a counterfeit website that prompts you to enter personal information and banking account details to submit a “donation.” Cybercriminals use the information you provide, leaving you vulnerable to fraud and financial theft.

Remember, if a message is unexpected or from an unknown number or sender check the following:

• Hover over links to see where they are really directing to
• Watch out for bad grammar and/or misspelled words
• Check to see if the message is pressuring you to take urgent action

If you receive one of these messages, here are some steps you can take:

• Block the phone number
• Report the email or text message as junk and delete it
• Report the email as a phishing email to your security officer (if received on a work email)

If you would like to check your voter registration details or to donate to a candidate’s campaign, go directly to the official website rather than clicking a link you were sent from an unknown email or phone number.