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To the Editor:

Election years have proven to be a popular time for scammers as criminals attempt to contact people with voter registration scams, fake polls or fraudulent donation requests.

While many Ahoskie area residents will receive legitimate calls and texts from political campaigns this year, sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between real and fake solicitations. My team at UScellular wants to help ensure you stay diligent to stop spam texts and prevent getting scammed.

First and foremost, if the message conveys urgency and asks you to do something immediately, consider that a red flag. You should never click on a text message link unless you are 100% certain who sent it.

If you suspect a message is a scam, you can report it with the free SpamResponse app that empowers customers to easily relay potential text message spam. In response to reported spam, UScellular can investigate fraudulent websites and get them shut down to create a safer and better customer experience.

The following tips to help you prevent scams in an election year or anytime:

Do not respond to unwanted texts from questionable sources.

Don’t click on links in texts from any unknown numbers.

Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. If you answer such a call, hang up immediately. If you miss a call from an unknown number, don’t call it back.

You may not be able to tell right away if an incoming call is spoofed. Caller ID showing a “local” Ahoskie number does not necessarily mean it is a local caller.

Never give out personal information, such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords or other identifying information, if you are suspicious.

Rod Stanley

UScellular

Ahoskie Store Manager