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By Nick LaFleur
Special to the Herald/Review
Last week Better Business Bureau Serving Southern Arizona issued an alert about a fraudulent website targeting members of the military by mimicking the U.S. Army’s benefits website in an attempt to steal personal information.
The “My Army Benefits” website at usmilitarybenifit.org is a fraudulent site designed to “collect soldiers’ Army Knowledge Online, email accounts and passwords.” The site also falsely claimed that “the U.S. military has granted access to unclaimed and accumulated benefits for active duty soldiers, and that benefits not claimed within the stipulated period will be available for claims after 60 months,” according to investigators.
The Army was able to shut the website down quickly and issue a warning, but we thought now would be a good time to remind service members and their families of some of the other scams that fraudsters often use to target the military.
High priced military loans — Advertisements for loans that promise a guarantee, instant approval or no credit check will often come with hidden fees and extremely high interest rates. Remember that legitimate lenders will never guarantee a loan before you apply and loans that require an upfront fee are likely a scam. Veterans’ benefits buyout plans – This buyout plan will offer a cash payment in exchange for a disabled veteran’s future benefits or pension payments. The cash amount is only about 30-40% of what the veteran is entitled to. These buyout plans can be structured in several different ways, so research thoroughly before signing anything over.
Misleading car sales – Websites posting classified ads will offer false discounts for military personnel or claim to be from soldiers who need to sell their vehicle fast since they have been deployed. Upfront fees will be required via wire transfer, or the vehicle will have problems after
purchase.
Expensive life insurance policies – Members of the military are often the targets of high pressured sales pitches that offer unnecessary, expensive life insurance policies. Solicitors may make false statements regarding the benefits that these policies offer.
BBB recommends the following tips to avoid scams:
Do your research. Get as much information as you can about a business or charity before you pay. Check out a business’ BBB Business Review at bbb.org or a charity’s Charity Report at give.org.
Don’t wire transfer money to anyone you don’t know. Money sent via wire transfer is practically impossible to track. Pay by credit card whenever possible, since you can dispute charges easily.
Protect your computer. Don’t click on links within unsolicited emails. Don’t enter personal information on unfamiliar websites. Make sure that you have updated anti-virus software installed and use a firewall at all times.
Put an Active Duty alert on your credit reports when deployed. Doing so will minimize the risk of identity theft because creditors and businesses cannot issue or grant credit until verifying
identity.
For more consumer news or for more information on programs and services BBB offers members of the military visit www.sierravista.bbb.org.
If you find a correction for this story, please contact our editorial department