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PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Memorial Day has always been seen as a patriotic holiday, but crooks view it as a way to make a quick buck.
That’s why the Better Business Bureau released a list of various scams and misleading sales tactics directed specifically at the military community.
Beware of these common Memorial Day scams tactics used to steal your money and identity:
- Be cautious about giving to anyone who says they are with a military or veteran charity’s website. If they are from that organization, they will have contact information on the website so you can make a donation at a later date or call to confirm the identity of the person.
- Posing as the Veterans Administration (VA) to contact veterans about updating their financial information with the VA.
- Charging service members for services they could get for free like military records.
- Convincing veterans to transfer their assets into fraudulent investment schemes.
- Offering guaranteed military loans that can have high interest rates and hidden fees.
- Trying to sell products 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 a soldier who needs to sell fast because he’s been deployed.
- Posing as government contractors recruiting veterans and then asking for a copy of the job applicant’s passport which can lead to identity theft.
- Posing as a lonely service member in a remote part of Iraq or Afghanistan on online dating services, and then asking for money to be wired to a third party for some emergency.
There are some simple ways to make sure you don’t get scammed.
- Research the organization or business before ever handing over your hard-earned money.
- Research national charities through the BBB Wise Giving Alliance link below.
- Never wire transfer to someone you don’t know.
- Protect your computer by updating you anti-virus software and using a firewall at all times.
- Never click on links to unsolicited emails.
- Put an Active Duty Alert on your credit reports when deployed. This prevents businesses and creditors from issuing or granting credit until they verifying your identity.
Additional Resources:
BBB’s 20 Standards of Charity Accountability
