Princeton Police Warn Elder Residents About Scam PACs

PRINCETONs, NJ — With elections just around the corner, the Princeton police department has warned elder residents against political fund contribution scams, also known as Scam PAC.

Scam PACs claim to support a particular politician or cause, mount aggressive phone, mail and social media campaigns and usually target older Americans. But the vast majority of donations go to cover fundraising costs and enrich the organizers, who collect big salaries or run affiliated companies that charge the PACs inflated fees for services.

These PACs might name-drop a prominent politician or press ideological hot buttons. These scams ramp up as election season heats up. Residents might get a call from a supposed pollster, promising a gift card or other reward in exchange for opinions. But they just need credit card number to cover shipping or taxes. Some even offer older residents help to register to vote or even cast ballot by phone – both of which are not allowed by states.

Police say this is just a ploy to get information like social security number or date of birth for identity theft. Residents are advised to hang up when they receive such calls.

Here are some warning signs:

• A PAC has a name that sounds like a charity. PACs registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) are supposed to focus on political activity.
• The PAC’s website does not list the names of the people running it or provide contact information.
• A caller claiming to be a pollster or elections official asks you for personal or financial data.

If you receive a scam call, call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline: 877-908-3360

Click here for more resources: https://www.aarp.org/money/sca...