Scam Alert: State officials warn voters of bogus mailers, texts

In News, State by OC Monitor Staff

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Secretary of State Michael Adams and Attorney General Daniel Cameron announce two election scams aimed at Kentuckians.

In one, Kentuckians are receiving letters from a group called the “Center for Voter Information,” pushing them to register to vote. However, the letters have been sent to people who are already registered to vote. The Center purports to have a Frankfort address on its mailers, but in fact the address simply represents a mailbox at a UPS Store.

Because the letters encourage people to register who have already done so, they confuse voters and disrupt Kentucky election officials’ efforts.

“I condemn this shady out-of-state group and their efforts to tamper with our elections,” said Adams. “They mislead voters, who then drive unnecessary call volume to our overworked election officials around the state. In fact, this group has even sent out voter registration materials with the wrong return-envelope addresses. Whether this organization is nefarious, or just recklessly incompetent, Kentuckians should disregard any communication they receive from the Center for Voter Information.”

In the other scam, voters have received text messages from a 502 area code saying they are not registered to vote and directing them to a fake website, ky.reg.com. If you receive this text, do not go to the website.  Scammers may use the fake website to steal an individual’s personal and financial information.

“We’re committed to fully investigating and prosecuting any attempts to compromise our electoral process, and I’m proud to partner with Secretary of State Adams and our law enforcement partners within the Election Integrity Task Force to ensure a free and fair election,” said Attorney General Cameron.  “If you encounter an election-related scam, please alert our Consumer Protection Division by calling 1-888-432-9257 or visit ag.ky.gov/scams.”

The Secretary of State and Attorney General urge Kentuckians to be on guard for election scams and to follow these scam prevention tips:

  • Use govoteky.com, a state-sponsored website, to register to vote and apply for an absentee ballot.
  • If you receive an email or text message from an unverified source, do not click the link.
  • Do not provide your personal or financial information to unknown callers or text message senders.