Tag: military

Got a letter in the mail from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) saying you owe money due to an overpayment of your benefits? You might be wondering: Was I really overpaid? How much do I need to pay back? To get real answers to questions like these, always start by logging into your VA.gov account.

Military servicemembers, veterans, and their families sacrifice a lot to keep our country safe. In the spirit of protecting those who’ve served, the Federal Trade Commission invites you to talk about scams with your battle buddies. Looking for ways to share what you know and protect someone else from a scam? The FTC’s got your six.

Are you hanging up the dog tags to start college this fall? Not all schools tell the whole truth about how your GI Bill benefits will cover your tuition and fees. Learn where to get real answers and make sure your GI Bill benefits don’t get wasted by mistake.

Whether you served for four, ten, or twenty years, veterans pension and disability benefits might be an important — often essential — part of your life after the military. That’s why scammers call, email, or message to “help” you apply for them. But what they’re really after is your money. These “advisors” make promises they can’t keep and charge filing fees for services that are always free through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Spot scams during the VA benefits claims process to avoid them.

July is Military Consumer Month, so we’re deploying advice you can use. No matter what stage of military life you’re going through, you could encounter an imposter scam: someone pretending to be your bank’s fraud department, the government, a relative in distress, a well-known business, or a technical support expert. Want to protect yourself and the people you care about? Let the FTC help.

The Department of Justice and the Navy will never ask you to pay to file a disability claim. Want to know who will? Scammers. Keep scammers away from your personal information — and your money — while you’re applying for relief.

Recently, the White House announced some initiatives the Administration is undertaking to improve the lives of the military and veteran communities. The FTC participates in several of these efforts, including the VSAFE task force that’s working to help veterans and their families avoid scams and other deceptive practices.

Dishonest advisers try to get veterans to transfer their assets so they appear to qualify for Aid & Attendance benefits but don’t inform them of the negative implications.

Scammers often pretend to help, but they’re just following the money. And now that veterans and servicemembers exposed to toxic substances get expanded benefits and health care through the PACT Act, dishonest businesses and scammers are trying to get a cut.