Tory scam to steal your data for electoral purposes

[noblegiraffe]

Local Tory parties are sending out letters asking people to sign up for postal votes, with an application form for a postal vote (genuine).

They are providing a free post envelope to send it back in.

This free post envelope does not go to the electoral services office address on the form, it goes to the local Tory party office.

They can then look at the form, see your details and know that you're wanting a postal vote (so can target you earlier in the election campaign). They will also know that you read mail from the conservatives.

Hopefully they will then pass your postal vote application form onto the correct address, but who knows?

Here's an example from twitter. People in a different area have also received one, but the free post envelope did not mention the Conservatives, it's only googling that showed the real destination.

twitter.com/markdpryan/status/1637165173734612999?s=61&t=U9XrcF693-JpMxeIueYG7g

[DownNative]

@LlynTegid

This seems dubious behaviour. Not too dissimilar to that which led to Luftur Rahman's disqualification from office (for a period not long enough in my opinion).

@noblegiraffe I would be reporting to the Electoral Commission or checking how this behaviour can be challenged otherwise.

Go ahead. The EC have been asked about it as ýou can see if you go on their twitter account. In short, it's legal to give such a form. 🤷‍♂️

[LlynTegid]

This seems dubious behaviour. Not too dissimilar to that which led to Luftur Rahman's disqualification from office (for a period not long enough in my opinion).

@noblegiraffe I would be reporting to the Electoral Commission or checking how this behaviour can be challenged otherwise.

[Goinggoinggone1]

Sorry phone glitched before I could finish. I was saying he didn't leave an envelope of any sort but I don't understand why he came? What do they gain out of it?

[Goinggoinggone1]

A little late to this thread but someone from the Conservative party knocked on our door today and asked DH if we wanted to opt for a postal vote. I said no but he said yes (no idea why). The man got him to sign a form and left. Didn't l3ave

[MrsDanversGlidesAgain]

People on the first page of this thread 'banging their head' while telling me stuff that isn't true though, perhaps someone should check on them

I'm fine. Thanks for the concern, though. 😅

[L1ttledrummergirl]

I came across this last night. Yes it's worrying. It looks as though they are collecting data through fraudulent means, by purporting to be sending a genuine postal vote form but in reality sending a data request form which they state will not be passed on to anyone else.

I'm also concerned that people may not receive a postal vote as a result and so be unable to vote as they have no valid id. This would disproportionately affect people who don't vote conservative. It would be interesting to see which constituencies they are doing this in.

[noblegiraffe]

@DannyZukosSmile

I really don't give a shit, and I doubt most other people do either. You seem massively over-invested in this, very VERY angry, and insisting everybody else should agree with you. Are you OK? Serious question @noblegiraffe .

I've had a lovely weekend thanks, and am feeling just dandy. Your reading of my perceived tone really doesn't extrapolate to real life.

People on the first page of this thread 'banging their head' while telling me stuff that isn't true though, perhaps someone should check on them.

[BadNomad]

It is shitty behaviour. They're relying on people to not notice that they are returning the form to them, rather than the electoral office. It's sneaky.

[amicissimma]

"You also don't want to be badgering people to remind them to vote if you think they're going to vote for the other guy, do you?"

Where I used to live people from one of the political parties used to knock on the door if I hadn't voted by about 8.30pm and offer me a lift to the polling station. They seemed quite happy when I accepted but said I wouldn't be voting for them.

[DannyZukosSmile]

I really don't give a shit, and I doubt most other people do either. You seem massively over-invested in this, very VERY angry, and insisting everybody else should agree with you. Are you OK? Serious question @noblegiraffe .

[noblegiraffe]

Re “all the parties do this” I’ve just seen on twitter someone posting their comparable mail shot from the Lib Dems.

The difference is the Lib Dem envelope goes to the correct place, and the application form hasn’t been amended as they’re not harvesting the data.

twitter.com/navinderkaur/status/1637432638565761024?s=46&t=vKGM6xpoeW3wdlaVVVagQA

[noblegiraffe]

@blumppump can you also explain why you were claiming that the Tories were legally able to obtain that data from the Electoral register when they are not?

[WontTheRealSlimSheldyPlsFuckoff]

Or it could just be

[noblegiraffe]

@blumppump you don't seem to have answered my question about how the Conservatives can legally forward your information to the Electoral Registration Office given that they've legally said that they won't share it with anyone else.

[WontTheRealSlimSheldyPlsFuckoff]

Meanwhile, in other news…

[blumppump]

@DownNative they were bringing them from the graveyard in some constituencies.

[DownNative]

@WrigglyDonCat

Most political parties have done this for years. Labour has had a certain reputation for it in some areas, along with suggestions about how exactly the forms got filled out...

Correct. It doesn't just happen in Great Britain either - IIRC, Northern Ireland parties have done the same thing too.

[noblegiraffe]

@blumppump

You do realise that the person hasn't shared the whole letter?

What would you like to see that is missing?

[noblegiraffe]

@blumppump

We don't have access to the entirety of the letter.

But given what we can see I've circled the relevant bit in this screen shot.

Yes, the bit you've circled clearly says that the data provided on the form will not be shared with anyone else.

That's a legal statement, yes?

So how can they then legally post the form with all that data on to the Electoral Registration Officer, given that they've said that they won't share it with anyone outside of the Conservative Party?

[blumppump]

You do realise that the person hasn't shared the whole letter?

[blumppump]

We don't have access to the entirety of the letter.

But given what we can see I've circled the relevant bit in this screen shot.

[MrsDanversGlidesAgain]

Here's a thought, OP. Throw it in the bloody bin and ignore it.

[noblegiraffe]

It literally means what it says.

If it literally means that they will not give the information you provide to anyone else, then how can they pass it onto the Electoral Registration Office?

[noblegiraffe]

your OP implied that this was a uniquely Tory practice and it was illegal

I never said it was a uniquely Tory practice, I said that the Tories were doing it, and they are.

And if it isn't illegal to amend postal vote application forms to become Tory data collection forms, it certainly seems ethically dubious, doesn't it? The Electoral Commission in Scotland wouldn't have warned that Tory MSP about it if it was fine, would they?

[blumppump]

@noblegiraffe

It's not a scam, its completely legal.

The information at the bottom left hand side of the amended postal vote application form saying

"The information you provide will be used for these purposes only, and will be used only be the Conservative Party; including its candidates, representatives and associations. We will not give information to anyone else."

How does that square with their promise to post the form on to the Electoral Registrations Officer?

It literally means what it says.

And the person has to actively tick one of three boxes where it is made clear that if you tick them you want the Conservative party to contact you.