Better
Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina warns that some of the most
cynical scams target service members, their families and veterans.
“Veterans
Day is a key opportunity for scam artists to target those who are serving or
have served their nation,” said Toby Barfield,
president and CEO of BBB serving Eastern North Carolina.
“At BBB, we believe our military consumers deserve the level of
respect and support commensurate with the effort they make every day on behalf
of the rest of us, and we will do our utmost on their behalf by promoting a safe and ethical marketplace
for all military consumers.”
Types of
scams to watch out for include:
·
Posing
as the Veterans Administration and contacting vets to say they need to update
their credit card, bank or other financial records with the VA
·
Charging
veterans for services they could get for free or less expensively elsewhere
·
Fraudulent
investment schemes that convince veterans to transfer their assets into an
irrevocable trust
·
Posing
as government contractors recruiting veterans and then asking for a copy of the
job applicants’ passport
·
Offering
“instant approval” military loans that can have high interest rates and hidden
fees
·
Advertising
housing online with military discounts and incentives, and then bilking service
personnel out of the security deposit
·
Trying
to sell security systems to spouses of deployed military personnel by saying
the service member ordered it to protect his or her family
·
Selling
stolen vehicles at low prices by claiming to be soldiers who need to sell fast
because they have been deployed
·
Posing
on online dating services as a lonely service member in a remote part of Iraq or Afghanistan, and then asking for
money to be wired to a third party for some emergency
BBB also warns military consumers to watch out for
questionable charity appeals that raise funds on behalf of military
organizations. Telephone solicitors will claim to be with a group that is
helping veterans, service members or their families. Always check out the
organization with BBB to verify that the charity meets BBB charity standards.
BBB
Military Line provides free financial literacy and consumer protection services
to the military community, as well as information on the latest scams, schemes,
and ID theft tactics that threaten them. Consumers can check out
businesses and charities at bbb.org.
Military personnel and veterans who need assistance should contact the United
Service Organizations (www.uso.org),
their state office of veterans’ affairs, or the Veterans Administration.
