Canadians alarmed by text messages asking their vote preference. Then their postal code. Then their name [View all]
It's election time, so receiving a text message from "Mary" or "Nancy" asking about your voting preferences might not seem all that unusual.
At least that's what Calgarian Stacey Schoneck thought when she heard her phone ping this week and read a message from a sender with "ERG National Research" posing that question, along with a list of federal party choices.
"I was momentarily quite excited [and] thought I get a chance to say what is going on in Alberta," said Schoneck.
snip
But then she was asked for her name. She says that's when she realized something was off and started asking the sender questions with no response.
snip
The Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC), a polling industry association, posted a notice on its website last year saying it has received numerous complaints about these text-message tactics from ERG National Research.
The notice stresses that ERG is not a member of its association and "should not be confused with Environics Research, a CRIC member in good standing."
more
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/erg-national-research-text-polling-complaints-cric-1.7494941
It appears this faux polling company is under the auspices of "ElectRight" which, to me, raises all kinds of alarm bells in and of itself.
= new reply since forum marked as read