Registered voters targeted in phishing campaign in these Delaware Valley counties
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. - Election officials in two large Philadelphia area counties are raising concerns about attempts to scam voters or undercut their beliefs in Democracy as election day nears.
On the cusp of Labor Day weekend, with 67 days before the election, Doylestown has a late summer feel. But in the county election office, there’s no end of season malaise.
Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie told FOX 29, "We are the biggest swing county in Pennsylvania. We know it’s just not happening here. I spoke to colleagues in Montgomery County. They say they are seeing this too."
What they’re seeing are texts popping up on voters’ smartphones raising concerns about their voter registration. Harvie, who also chairs the Board of Elections, said they’re not sure who’s behind it but they’re likely up to no good. He said, "The people calling us, a few dozen people so far, were confused. They didn’t know what the issue was. They thought these were official calls from the county. They weren’t."
Text message scam targeting registered voters in Montgomery County: officials
Officials in Montgomery County are warning residents of a text message scam that claims residents aren't registered to vote and asks for personal information.
Harvie said they could be scam-texts trying to swipe personal information or a dark attempt to sow dissent and undercut democracy. If it’s dissension they’re after, Bucks, a purple county with 400,000 voters split nearly down the middle politically, is a prime target sitting in the battleground of Pennsylvania where the presidency may be won or lost.
Jim, a New Jersey resident taking in the sights in Doylestown Thursday afternoon, who didn’t want to provide his last name, said, "It’s even worse, I feel, if it’s really coming directly from a political organization doing this on purpose."
Montgomery County officials report scammers are targeting its voters as well, "phishing" for sensitive information by using an unverified website. Scamming for money or stoking unrest voters must be ever alert.
Cecilia Williams of Philadelphia said, "It’s cheesy. It’s corny. Like, we’re a free society, why are you trying to manipulate that? We just want to vote for who we think will serve us best."