Tag: elections

I’ve heard from the presidential candidates, their families and every politician within a 100-mile radius. The texts don’t stop in October of an election year, especially when it comes to a presidential election.

What’s worse, the closer we get to Nov. 5, the more these texts are going to bug you. Here I am to save the day (and your sanity)!

Who’s allowed to text you?

Mass texting campaigns are legal if the sender uses an official text messaging organization. These orgs verify the sender is legit and complies with all opt-in and opt-out rules.

This means campaigns need your consent before they text you. They also have to comply when you respond with “STOP” and not send you any future messages.

Scam-paigns

Real political organizations are good at following the rules. But, shocker, scammers pretending to be associated with political candidates aren’t. Once you block one number, they move on to the next. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Crooks pounce at the opportunity to blend their scams with legitimate political campaigns and hope you can’t tell the difference. They’ll use political-sounding messages to push malicious links. They might even ask you to donate to a bogus campaign.

Psst, this is all the more reason to try Incogni. They stop spammers from getting your number in the first place.

Stay smart and stop them from bugging you

• Your obvious first step is to text back “STOP.” But if you don’t remember opting into these messages, don’t respond. Doing so tells the sender — likely a scammer — you’re a real person, which could lead to even more texts.
• Instead, report it to your cell provider by forwarding texts to 7726 (SPAM). If enough complaints come in about the same number, the wireless carrier will investigate and block future messages.
• Don’t donate money through a link sent in a text. If you’d like to donate to a political campaign, go directly to their official website.

iPhone:

Continue reading →