ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Several people have come forward to Channel 9 after they said they received text messages from unknown numbers offering help with voting by mail.
“It was a text out of the blue,” one woman said. “I just felt like perhaps my identity might have been compromised, or someone was trying to steal my identity.”
We asked Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles what to do if you receive a similar message.
“We know that it’s harvesting the information,” Cowles said.
He said he believes these messages are an issue nationwide, especially as many people are looking to vote by mail instead of in person due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The individual is going to have to make a decision as to whether that’s someone that they know. If it’s someone they don’t know, go to the authority,” Cowles said.
In this case, that authority would be your local supervisor of elections. That’s also where you can go to request a mail-in ballot without giving a third party your personal information.
Cox Media Group
