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Information you can trust: United States.
A take-home sheet for people at the session. Other countries: United Kingdom · Canada · Australia.
Moraph for Good · Voice
Information you can trust: United States
Handout · moraph.org/commons/sessions/voice/information-you-can-trust
Most of what you need to know about local services and voting comes from official sources you can check yourself. This sheet covers simple habits for checking claims and spotting messages that only pretend to be official.
Go to the source
- Read agendas, minutes, budgets and notices before relying on a summary.
- Type the official web address yourself, or search the main government portal.
- For voting, use only your official election office.
Check the claim
- Open a new tab and look up who is behind it.
- Find the original notice or document.
- Check the date: is it old news shared as new?
- If you can’t check it, don’t share it.
Spot a scam
- Watch for urgency, threats and unexpected contact.
- Be wary of requests for personal or bank details, or payment by gift card or cryptocurrency.
- Don’t click links or call numbers in the message. Find the agency’s contact details yourself.
If it happens
- Stop replying, and contact your bank if you shared bank details.
- Report it using the official routes on the back of this sheet.
In the United States
- Official websites. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. .gov is the top-level domain for U.S. governments, and governments at all levels, including cities and counties, are eligible for one.
- Government imposter scams. Unless you contact them first, government agencies typically start contact with you by letter. Imposters may call, text, email or come to your door, and may fake caller ID to look like an official number.
- Where to report. USAGov has a tool that helps you find the right agency to report a scam. Imposter scams can be reported online to the Federal Trade Commission, and tax-related imposter scams to the Internal Revenue Service.
- Voting information. Your state or local election office helps with registering, voting and election results. USAGov lists them by state and territory.
Official places to check:
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (get.gov): get.gov
- USAGov: www.usa.gov/imposter-scams
- USAGov: www.usa.gov/where-report-scams
- USAGov: www.usa.gov/state-election-office
General information, not advice about your own situation. Checked 19 October 2026. If an official source says something different, it is right. Free to copy and adapt. moraph.org/commons/sessions/voice/information-you-can-trust