Massachusetts’ top election overseer warned residents against responding to or engaging with text messages that tell them they are not eligible to cast a ballot after local officials reported multiple instances of the communications to his office.

Days before voters head to the polls for the Sept. 3 state primaries, Secretary of State William Galvin said the messages were found to have been received in multiple communities, including some in Middlesex County. But the source of the messages is still unclear.

“We’ve had numerous reports from local clerks and voters about voters receiving text messages suggesting to them that they are not going to be eligible to vote and asking them to text back. These are scams,” Galvin said Thursday. “At best, these are mistaken efforts, maybe by campaigns. At worst, they’re more likely efforts to get personal information or contact with voters.”

Local or state officials do not communicate with voters using text messages, he said.

“If a voter has a question, they should best go to their local election website or to our election website, where they’ll have the opportunity to verify their status. That’s what we strongly recommend. We’re concerned that voters might provide personal information, and we do not want to see that … happen,” Galvin said.

Galvin said his office has been in touch with local law enforcement. He said the messages some people have received inform the person they are “not eligible to vote” and to click on a link.

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“You don’t register to vote that way, not by text,” he said. “We just don’t want people to mistakenly provide information, even if it was simply to a campaign. We don’t want that. It’s not necessary. Campaigns shouldn’t need that. Campaigns can reach voters. They can get a list from local officials as to who the voters are.”

Galvin said if the text messages were centralized to one community, then it may point to efforts by a particular campaign.

“We’re not even sure they’re coming from within Massachusetts,” he said. “We don’t know enough about it. Could it be a campaign? It could be. Could it be a misguided effort by out-of-state campaigns? It could be.”

Residents can find official information regarding the voter registration process and check their status on Galvin’s state website (https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/).

Other attempts at using technology to dissuade voters from casting ballots have occurred over the past year.

A political consultant was accused earlier this year of orchestrating thousands of phone calls to New Hampshire voters that used artificial intelligence to mimic the voice of President Joe Biden to falsely claim that voting in the state’s presidential primary would bar them from taking part in the November election.

Steven Kramer of New Orleans, Louisiana faces a potential $6 million fine by the Federal Communications Commission and state charges in New Hampshire for his alleged role in sending messages to voters in January.

Kramer has said he paid a magician to create the message in an attempt to show the negative effects artificial intelligence can have.

“Maybe I’m a villain today, but I think in the end we get a better country and better democracy because of what I’ve done, deliberately,” Kramer said.

The company that sent the calls, Lingo Telecom, paid a $1 million fine.

Materials from the Associated Press were used in this report.