GSU expert warns about text, robocall scams ahead of 2024 election

October 3rd, 2024

A person wearing a backpack looks down at their phone. — Reports by the anti-spam app, Robokiller, say Americans received 15 billion political text messages in 2022. (Angelo Moleele)

Data suggests Americans received 15 billion political text messages in 2022. More are expected for this year’s presidential election, but not all of them are legit.

Arun Rai, a business professor at Georgia State University and a member of Georgia’s AI Advisory Council, says more and more people are coming up with ways to scam people. He himself has been targeted by scammers with misinformation.

On Thursday’s edition of “Closer Look,” Rai talked with show host Rose Scott about the dangers and risks of political misinformation and how it can spread through multiple channels, including text messages, emails and robocalls.

Rai emphasized the importance of awareness, saying people should be on the lookout for messages that come from a number that is not in their contact list and that has typos and emergency prompts. He said voters should never click on a suspicious link, especially if it asks for money. Spam messages should also be reported to cell phone providers and the FCC.

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