ID thieves using voter registration scams
Identity thieves are capitalizing on the excitement of this presidential election by running phishing scams with a voter-registration twist. They want to con people into divulging profitable data, such as Social Security numbers, bank account data or credit card information.
A phishing scam involves an e-mail that mimics a legitimate entity and includes a link that when clicked on, downloads malicious software onto the recipient’s computer or takes them to a fraudulent Web site designed to capture personal or financial information.
Phishing scammers often use current events to con people, says Nat Wood, assistant director in the bureau of consumer protection at the Federal Trade Commission.