Scammers Targeting Service Members and Veterans Made Off With $405 Million

Senior soldier investigating fingerprints

KENT, UNITED KINGDOM — Since 2012, scammers targeting service members and veterans have made off with $405 million dollars according to a consumer-formation organization.

Comparitech analyzed years of information compiled by the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission and found nearly a million veterans and service members fell victim to criminals.

Veterans were the hardest hit by these criminals, making up nearly 60% of the victims and 55% of the total money lost.

Active-duty military made up $124 million of the loss with about 152,600 service members falling victim to scammers.

Among the most common scams were employment scams, where the scammer contacted service members with bogus job opportunities in exchange for equipment to conduct the interview.

Another commonly reported scam was identity theft or imposter scams where the criminal posed as the service member, their superior, or a love interest to gain personal information in order to collect tax refunds, social security, or benefits in their name.

When Comparitech measured the number of military personnel and veterans affected by scams in a given state, Virginia saw the largest number of reports, but California saw the biggest financial loss, totaling over $97 million dollars.

To see the full report visit Comparitech here.


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