New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued a consumer alert warning New Yorkers to beware of scams targeting military service members and veterans. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) also released a new online guide dedicated to identifying and avoiding common scams targeting service members and veterans. Attorney General James reminds the public ahead of Veteran’s Day that the military community is a consistent target for scammers due to their steady income, the complexity of navigating the Veterans Affairs system (VA), their obligation to relocate often, and the impact that a service member’s credit score can have on clearances and promotions. Attorney General James is encouraging anyone who encounters scams targeting service members and veterans to report them to OAG.
“Military service members have made enormous sacrifices to protect New York and our country, and they deserve our support and respect,” said Attorney General James. “From pension scams to predatory offers for assistance with VA benefits to phishing attacks, frauds targeting members of our military are increasingly common. I urge active service members and veterans to remain vigilant to protect themselves and report any suspected fraudsters to my office.”
Common scams that target veterans and active service members include:
- Inflated Costs: Scammers offer active-duty service members “special deals” on products and financing, often with per-pay-period pricing and low-quality, overpriced products.
- Predatory Assistance: Scammers unlawfully and fraudulently charge veterans to “help” prepare their initial claims with the VA, promising faster processing times or increased benefits while charging high fees.
- Pension Poaching: Scammers lure veterans into forwarding their pension money with overstated or false promises of instant cash.
- Imposter or Phishing Scams: Scammers pretend to be an official government agency, family member, or business to get veterans to send money or personal information.
- Romance Scams: Scammers create fake profiles on dating websites or social media to build trust before requesting money or sensitive personal information.
- Charitable Donation Scams: Scammers ask for donations to fake or predatory charities that claim to help veterans or service members in need.
- Credit Monitoring Scams: Scammers offer deployed, active-duty service members credit monitoring to protect against identity theft, then use their information to open accounts and make purchases.
Attorney General James urges service members, veterans, and their families to take the following steps – using the acronym PATROL – to protect themselves:
- Protect your data. Never share your Defense Finance Accounting Service (DFAS) myPay login or VA.gov login, or other sensitive information.
- Avoid clicking on and answering unexpected emails, texts, phone calls, or social media messages.
- Test any benefits-related message for legitimacy. Verify by checking with official sources like your online VA account, or hotline.
- Reject high-pressure sales tactics that create a sense of urgency.
- Obtain and review your credit report regularly.
- Locate and talk to someone you trust before you give anyone information or money.
To report a scam or to learn more on how to recognize and avoid scams visit OAG’s guide on scams targeting the military, or call OAG’s complaint hotline at 1-800-771-7755.