8 Military-Themed Impostor Scams

Deployment Deception

Posting ads on Craigslist and elsewhere, fraudsters claim to be active-duty service members about to be deployed overseas (or as a family member of a service member killed in action) who need to quickly sell a car or other big-ticket item. The price is too good to be true for good reason: There is no item, only a request for upfront payment before the item is delivered — and it won’t be.

Rental Rip-Offs

Stealing photos and descriptions of properties for sale on real estate websites (or inventing their own), swindlers advertise bogus rentals. Some use the same “being deployed” lie to get upfront security deposits and rent payments (usually requesting wire transfers or prepaid debit or gift cards) for what they claim are their personal homes; others pose as landlords or rental agents touting military discounts for returning vets or active-duty personnel searching for off-base housing. In addition to lost payments, would-be renters risk identity theft from disclosures they may provide on fake application forms.

Phone Call Phishing

In unexpected phone calls and occasional at-home visits, older vets are the usual targets of con artists who pose as employees of the Veterans Affairs Department or other assistance agencies. Aiming to glean personal or financial information, these impostors claim a need to confirm or update records or may cite supposed policy changes for dispensing drugs or receiving benefits. As with other federal agencies, expect official VA information to be mailed, not delivered by unsolicited phone calls. Before providing any details, verify requests by calling these VA toll-free phone numbers.

Romance Rip-Offs

To steal hearts and money, fraudsters frequently pose on dating websites as military personnel deployed overseas — a fake identity so commonly used that the U.S. Army receives hundreds of complaints per month from victims. Stealing photos and identities (including those of actual service personnel), these self-described officers and soldiers initially woo newfound matches before asking for money via wire transfer under the guise of a paycheck snafu, medical emergency or plane ticket to meet their “true love.” Or they send their own check, claiming a bank account problem, with instructions to forward back a portion of it; the check is fake, and the heartbroken target is responsible for those funds.

AARP Offer: Protect Your Money

Take advantage of expert advice, tools and information to help you protect and build your future for your family.

Subscribe to AARP's Money Matters Newsletter.
You can also save on products and services by becoming an AARP member. Join today.

Grandparent Gotchas

Military families are a popular target in this long-running scheme that preys on loving grandparents. Scammers get word of deployed soldiers from local newspaper stories and, posing as the grandchild or relative, they claim a problem while on R&R, such as arrest or hospitalization, to get quick cash from worried elders.

Phony Jobs

Targeting younger vets, swindlers pose as government contractors, sometimes on job websites. The goal is to collect personal information (including Social Security numbers for supposed background checks, and bank account numbers for never-to-come direct-deposited paychecks) under the guise of employment opportunities that don’t exist.

Charity Cons

Bogus charities claiming to benefit veterans are among the most common and successful, especially when targeting patriotic older donors. To solicit funds, typically in unsolicited calls (often a local area code or prefix appears on caller ID), scammers often use soundalike names of legitimate charities or invent authentic-sounding “organizations” with heartstring-pulling pitches. Never donate over the phone unless you initiate the call after vetting charities through the Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator or GuideStar.

Toll-Free Trickery

The latest con campaign against veterans: an impostor toll-free phone number that mimics that of the Veterans Choice Program (VCP), which allows certain vets to use approved health care providers outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system. In this years-old ruse, scammers buy phone numbers with the identical seven digits (but a different area code) of toll-free numbers belonging to trusted entities. When callers inadvertently misdial the area code (dialing 800 instead of 866 or 877, for example), they are told they won a prize or are eligible for complimentary or low-cost products and services. But it’s a ploy by fraudsters to get personal and financial information.

In the latest example that started last month, an 800-606-8198 impostor line differed only in the toll-free code from the actual VCP phone number (866-606-8198) used to verify eligibility or get information. Until it was disconnected last weekend, it offered a $100 “retail rebate” in exchange for a credit card number. “But if you give up your account information, they’ll debit your account and you’ll get nothing in return,” warned the Federal Trade Commission. “There is no rebate, and you’ll need to cancel your credit card.”

During one call to the impostor number, a customer service representative speaking with a thick foreign accent said (when asked) that I  had reached the VCP. In another call, a different English-challenged rep said she worked “in the headquarters of the promotion’s sponsor, a company named Identity Theft Protection, based in San Diego,” possibly mimicking the Identity Theft Resource Center in that city.