Trending 2024 US Presidential Election Scam Calls, Blog

As we near the 2024 Presidential election in the US, TNS' Robocall Protection team are tracking an increase in unwanted political calls. While a jump in unwanted calls can be frustrating for subscribers, you might be surprised to learn that many of them are legal. Keep reading to find out how to detect a scam political call even if they are following the legal robocall guidelines.

What is Considered a Legal Political Call?

Legitimate auto-dialed or pre-recorded political calls are allowed in certain circumstances. They are allowed to call landlines without prior consent but are limited to no more than three calls in a 30-day period, in which the called party can revoke consent at any time. Political parties are not allowed to auto-dial or send pre-recorded calls to mobile devices without consent. The caller must provide their name or entity name at the beginning of the message and their telephone number must be provided at either the beginning or end of the message. Calls can be reported to the FCC here if they are not following these rules and it's important to note that text messages should also follow the same guidelines.

How to Identify a Political Scam Call?

There are many scams that are common around election season. An easy one to spot is scammers pretending to be fundraising, where they may ask for a donation over the phone with the intention of pocketing the cash. If you wish to make monetary donations to a campaign, the best way to avoid being swindled by a scam is donating directly to a verified website of your candidate. Never give your card or bank information over the phone, especially to an unsolicited caller. As technology evolves, these scams can sound more believable. For example, fraudsters may use AI voice cloning technology to impersonate a candidate's voices. However, if they are asking for personal information over the phone, it could very likely be a scam.

Voting scams are also common and often have two main intentions - to gain personal information or attempt to keep people away from the polls to avoid votes for their opponent. A scammer may call and claim you can vote over the phone, when doing so they may collect personal information such as your address and SSN. In the US, you cannot vote over the phone, so this is an immediate red flag. Other voting scams often involve spreading potential misinformation, again to keep voters away from the polls. For example, fraudsters may call to recommend voting the day after the election to avoid long polling lines. This is misinformation and a form of voter suppression. To avoid falling victim to a voting scam, you can check where and when you can vote (including how to vote early) with your state department of elections.

It is best practice to never engage with unknown numbers and report phone numbers being used by scammers to your carrier. If you believe you are the victim of a scam, you can report it to your local police, state Attorney General's office and the FTC.

Call-blocking apps, including those powered by TNS Call Guardian ®, are also a great resource for reporting and blocking unwanted robocalls. Stay vigilant, share information about scams with others and be sure to check out our monthly Scam of the Month page updates.

John Haraburda is Product Lead for TNS Call Guardian® with specific responsibility for TNS' Communications Market solutions.

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