Be on the lookout for election scams this election season

ANNAPOLIS — We’re just weeks away from Election Day.

Unfortunately, we must be wary of electoral scams.

There is a scam sent to voters via SMS.

WMAR-2 News spoke with the experts.

They say you have to be careful what you click on.

For voter Scott Taylor, there’s nothing more irritating than receiving a scam text message.

“It’s a little frustrating because I think it’s a real text message and I realize it’s fake and it’s a waste of time,” Taylor said.

Currently, a message is sent to the public telling them that they are not registered to vote and should click on a link.

“Don’t fall into the trap. We’re not texting anyone here to click on those links,” said Jared DeMarinis, the state elections administrator.

He says he is well aware of the scam going on. He says when in doubt, always check with the state election board.

“We have the right information. We can check your voter registration, your voting location, your early voting location, where your mail-in ballot is,” DeMarinis said.

Professor and cybersecurity expert Bryan Deehring says scammers are after your personal information.

“What they’re really looking for is access to your phone, to your website, to then hopefully access your data, so they can focus more on something else, maybe company you work for,” Deehring said.

Deehring says that with more than 300 million people owning smartphones in the United States, it’s easy for someone to see something without knowing what it is.

He says the first step is to always never click.

“So one of the things is to slow down. People see this and they don’t react and they move on and they’ve already clicked on it,” Deehring said.

“I think it’s a little messed up because voting is a very important part of our society. This causes more people who want to quote on a quote vote to be sent to this fraudulent link and take advantage of it,” Taylor said.

If you receive this message, you are encouraged to report it.

You can access the National Elections Council website.

There you will find a portal where you can share the number and the scam.