Text scam targeting voters in Pennsylvania county; officials issue warning

BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. - The Bucks County Board of Elections is putting out an "Election Alert" after a new phone scam has been making the rounds recently.

"A potential voter intimidation and misinformation effort is currently underway."

Officials say a group is contacting voters by call or text to make misleading claims about voter information discrepancies and registration issues.

The group is said to be impersonating "Voter Protection" or "Volunteers with Voter Protection" while carrying out the fraudulent phone scam.

"This is yet another attempt to sow confusion, distrust, and misinformation in our election process," said Bucks County Board of Elections Chairman Bob Harvie. "We will not be intimidated. Every vote will be counted, and voters will not be threatened on my watch."

The board is offering these tips to help protect yourself from scammers:

• These calls/texts come from non-Bucks County area codes.
• The group is instructing voters to "call the Board of Elections" but provides a misleading number.
• The Bucks County Board of Elections is not connected with these calls or texts.
• If the Bucks County Board of Elections needs to contact you, the caller ID will read "County of Bucks" and the number will be 215-348-6000. We primarily communicate with voters through official mail sent via the United States Postal Service.

Officials are asking residents to stay vigilant and contact the board if they receive any suspicious messages.