Better Business Bureau warns of Memorial Day scams targeting military, families, and supporters

CHICAGO, IL – Memorial Day is a time to honor those who died in service to our country. Sadly, it has also become a key opportunity for scammers to target those who are currently serving or have served their nation, especially elderly veterans. The Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois (BBB) urges military members and supporters to lookout for scam deals and disreputable charities.

 

Scams can include efforts to target service personnel and their families as well as efforts that appear to help via charities. It is imperative to educate service members and consumers on the proper practices when donating money or determining the validity of charities.

 

“There are charities that claim to be raising money on behalf of military organizations and families when in fact those dollars rarely go to help those in need” said Steve J. Bernas, president & CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and northern Illinois. “When you make a donation, always check www.bbb.org to see if the group meets BBB charity standards.” 

 

The BBB urges military members and supporters to watch out for the following scams:

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

“In addition, the BBB urges service members, veterans and all consumers in general to never give personal identification information (Social Security, bank account, military identification or credit card numbers, etc.) to anyone who contacts them by phone or e-mail.” Bernas continued, “Be wary of any solicitations that involve making a purchase or the transfer of money.”

 

Consumers can check out businesses and charities for free at www.bbb.org