Scam Alert: Clinton County auditor warns of mail ballot scam

CLINTON, Iowa (KWQC) - The Clinton County auditor is warning residents about a potential scam involving a ballot from Clinton County asking for donations.

Clinton County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Eric Van Lancker is warning voters that his office is not issuing any ballots for any election at this time and no ballot issued by his office would require a donation, a statement from the auditor said.

According to a media release, the Clinton County Auditor’s Office was made aware Thursday of a mail piece sent to a resident in DeWitt that asks the resident, “...please rush me your signed Clinton County Ballot and your donation of $15 today,” Van Lancker said. There are clear warning signs this is not a ballot issued by Clinton County for voting purposes.

“First, Clinton County is currently not conducting any elections and therefore not issuing any ballots,” Van Lancker explained. “Second, any ballot issued for voting purposes in the State of Iowa would not require a donation or any sort of fee. And lastly, you would never be asked to sign a ballot.”

Van Lancker said the mail piece was shared with the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office and the local U.S. Postal Service who are forwarding the mail to the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the U.S. Postal Service Inspection Service.

Van Lancker asks if any Clinton County residents receive such a mail piece to either turn it over to his office or to their local U.S. Post Office.

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