WASHINGTON, D.C. — As America prepares to honor Veterans Day, Operation Protect Veterans, a joint crime prevention program created by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and AARP, is alerting the more than 17 million U.S. veterans to scams specifically targeting them.
These include:
* Secret Veterans Benefits Scam: Veterans are told they qualify for “secret” government programs or benefits that offer thousands of dollars. But first, they attempt to collect personal information or a fee.
* Pension Poaching Scam: Scammers often offer veterans lump sum payments up front, in exchange for signing over all their future monthly benefit checks.
* Bogus Employment Scam: Scammers post fake job descriptions to collect personal information from a veteran’s job application, or they charge an employment fee.
* VA Loan Scams: Offers to refinance VA loans at extremely low rates.
* Update Your File Scam: An imposter, claiming to be from a government agency, attempts to get a veteran’s personal information to “update their file,” so they can maintain their benefits.
* Aid and Attendance Scam: Veterans (or their family members) receive an offer to move their assets into a living trust so that they can qualify for financial assisted Iiving benefits.
According to research conducted by AARP, veterans are twice as likely as the general public to be victims of scams. What can veterans – and those who care about them – do to prevent being taken advantage of by scammers?
The Postal Inspection Service advises every veteran do the following:
* Visit the Postal Inspection Service’s website (www.uspis.gov) to learn about scams targeting veterans and what they can do to prevent becoming a victim.
* Check out any offer with a trusted family member, friend or your local veteran’s affairs office before acting.
* Don’t be pressured into acting immediately. If you are dealing with a legitimate outfit, they won’t try to pressure you to act before having a chance to check it out and think about it. If they do, just say “no” and hang up.
* Get an answering machine and caller ID display. Then, let the machine answer the phone for you. If you don’t recognize the person leaving a message, don’t pick up the phone!
* Contact your telephone service provider, and ask them what kind of services they offer to help you block unwanted calls.
* Report if you believe you have been the victim of a scam. Contact your local police or AARP (protectveterans@aarp.org or 877-908-3360).
* Get credible information on how to qualify for veterans’ benefits by contacting your state veterans’ affairs agency. Visit www.nasdva.us, and click on “Links.”
“Veterans have access to special benefits and share a special bond that scammers know and use to take advantage of them,” said Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale. “The Postal Inspection Service works hard every day to stop scams targeting veterans, but we need everyone to become better informed, so they can help spread the knowledge to the veterans they know and love. I encourage all Americans to make this Veteran’s Day not only a day of remembrance and thanks for our veterans, but also to make it the start of learning about, and helping to spread information on scams targeting veterans.”
For more information on scams targeting veterans and other scams, visit www.uspis.gov.
