11/08/2024

For Veterans Day, share how you spot and avoid scams

FTC

Every November, people put out social media posts to honor family and friends who’ve served in the military. But did you know that servicemembers and veterans reported losing more than $350 million to fraud last year? Chances are, fraud has happened to someone you know. This year, make sure your Veterans Day tribute includes ways to help veterans, servicemembers, and military families spot scammers.

When you talk about scams you’re seeing, you help veterans spot and avoid them too. So, tell your neighbor if you’ve heard about scammers who call claiming to help veterans file for benefits — but they’re really trying to steal their personal information or military benefits. Let grandpa know about a scam call you got that sounded real and said there’s something supposedly wrong, like unauthorized charges, with your bank account. You knew it was a scam because the caller told you to withdraw cash and deposit it into a specific Bitcoin ATM to protect it (big red flag!), so help your family members spot that scam. Offer to help your newly enlisted cousin sign up for free active duty credit monitoring to restrict access to their credit report and protect against identity theft.