How to avoid Veterans Day scams
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - After serving our country and fighting for our freedoms, many veterans still face a very real threat. Scammers have identified veterans as prime targets, especially around Veterans Day.
KDKA Investigator Meghan Schiller talked with an expert about how some scammers are even attempting to steal veterans' benefits.
Mark Kapczynski works for a company that scrubs the internet for your personal information and says scammers love to lie to veterans to gain trust.
"A con artist basically is a salesperson, and if they know that you're in the military or we're in the military, they can start to play off that," said Kapczynski, senior vice president of strategic partnerships, OneRep. "So, it gives an easy point of trust right up front to establish like, 'Oh, you were in the military? I was in the military; I was in this division. What were you in?' And it sort of takes people into a comfortable zone."
That's why he wants every veteran to Google themselves, see what pops up, and take steps to remove that information. He says scammers can use your personal information received from a data breach, pair that with the information posted online, and use that to steal your identity and therefore, veteran benefits.
"Just because they have a military ID that they got through a data breach, they'll need the rest of your information like where you live, where your history is. You know, family relatives, date of birth, other attributes in order to commit their fraud. And all of that, sadly, is available on these people search websites through a simple Google search."
Navy veteran C.J. Thrasher said it's sad, given some of these veterans are already vulnerable.
"There's some veterans that may have a traumatic brain injury, they may be suffering from PTSD and other issues, and for them to be taken advantage of - it is sad, and to me, it's a crime."
That's why Thrasher thinks everyone needs someone they can rely on for a second set of eyes.
"My wife. We check on each other. We make sure we're not getting scammed."
A recent Federal Trade Commission report revealed veterans and their families filed 93,000 fraud complaints last year alone. Active-duty military members filed nearly 8,000 fraud reports, but veterans filed nearly 74,000, costing them $292 million.
Kapczynski wants veterans to take a few steps to ensure their online interactions are legitimate.
First, visit these two websites before donating to a charity: CharityNavigator.org and CharityWatch.org.
Also, if someone solicits you to buy a product or a service, Kapczynski suggests checking these two places: the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot's website.
"So, the Better Business Bureau, check there. We also recommend going to review sites like Trust Pilot to see if there's any reviews. If there's no reviews, that's a red flag."
Kapczynsk says another great reference is a government website called militaryconsumer.gov. He says it's a great place for military members to learn about fraud, scams, and the benefits the government provides. He also recommends signing up for the free weekly newsletter called the Baker Fraud Report as a great resource to stay up-to-date on the frauds and scams happening globally.