Memorial Day 2012: Scams Target Military

Memorial Day is a time to honor those who serve our country and remember those who have died in service. But sadly, it has also become an opportunity for scammers to target active service members and elderly veterans. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is urging consumers and donors to be on the lookout for deals that seem too good to be true, and also for disreputable charities.

“The unique lifestyle of our service members makes them prime targets for scammers,” says Dana Badgerow, President and CEO of the BBB. “It’s imperative that we educate our service members and ensure that the support we give to them equals the effort they make every day on behalf of us.”

“Donors also need to watch out for questionable charities that raise funds on behalf of military organizations,” adds Art Taylor, President and CEO of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. “When you make a donation, always check www.give.org  to see that the group meets BBB charity standards, especially around Memorial Day.  Too many solicitors that fail to meet BBB standards call and say they help veterans, service members or their families, and little of the money donated will serve that purpose.”

Among the scams to watch out for:

• Solicitors posing as the Veterans Administration and contacting veterans to say they need to update their credit card, bank or other financial records with the VA;

• Charging service members for services they could get for free or less expensively elsewhere, such as military records;

• Fraudulent investment schemes that convince veterans to transfer their assets into an irrevocable trust;

• Offering “instant approval” military loans (“no credit check,” “all ranks approved”) 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 things like 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’ve been deployed;

• Posing as government contractors recruiting veterans and then asking for a copy of the job applicants’ passport (which contains a lot of personal information);

• 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.

The BBB advises service members, veterans and all consumers never to give personal identification information (Social Security, bank account, military identification or credit card numbers, etc.) to anyone who contacts you by phone or e-mail, and to be wary of any solicitations that involve purchasing something or transferring money. Consumers can check out businesses and charities for free at www.bbb.org.