BBB: Be on the lookout for political scams as November election nears

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – The Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin is warning consumers about political scams as the November election nears.

The BBB says scammers are likely to call people pretending to be volunteers, fundraisers or may even impersonate political candidates.

The BBB says to lookout for calls from people claiming to be fundraisers for a specific candidate or cause. The scammers will usually be pushy and demand an immediate donation.

Another common scam is someone pretending to be conducting a political survey. After asking you questions, they’ll say you'll get a gift card or prize for participating and then ask for your banking information.

The BBB says legitimate polling companies rarely offer prizes and consumers should never give out their information over the phone.

"It’s so easy for scammers to spoof phone numbers, they can make it look as if they’re calling from anywhere including the White House, so you can’t trust your caller ID," Lisa Schiller with BBB Wisconsin said. "If you get a phone call and you’re interested in making a donation, hang up, go directly that politician’s website and make the donation there."

Schiller also says to check Give.org to see if a charity asking for money is accredited.

More information can be found on the BBB website.