Beware New VA Benefit Scam

I know that many veterans get frustrated with the delay of waiting for a decision form VA about their veterans disability benefits.  Often it takes many months or years to make sure that VA reaches the correct decision on your case.

Unfortunately, some scammers are trying to take advantage of this frustration that veterans experience.  Veterans who are taken advantage of by this scam risk their personal and financial information.  I wanted to publish this article to make sure that veterans know about this scam so they can avoid it.

Senior man in wheelchair disability medicare What is this new veterans benefits scam?

You have probably heard about email and phone scams that try to collect personal and financial information.  Email scams may indicate that your bank needs you to verify some information or needs some information to correct an error from your account.  Phone scams sometimes often take the same approach.

This new veterans benefits scam seems to take the same approach.  VA is reporting that veterans are receiving phone calls from people who say they are attorneys from VA’s Office of General Counsel.  These scammers request money in exchange for processing the veteran’s claim for VA benefits.

Given the long times that many veterans wait to get the benefits they should, it is easy to see why a call from someone impersonating VA is a scam that could work.  Apparently, these calls may very well show up as coming from “Veterans Affairs” on caller ID.

We want to make sure that scammers cannot take advantage of veterans who are waiting on a decision from VA.  Awareness of these scams is the best way to prevent scammers from taking advantage of veterans.

What should I do if I receive one of these scam phone calls?

VA has written an article that discusses these scams.  That article talks about what veterans should do if they receive one of the phone calls.

One of the most important things that VA mentions is that you should not give out personal or financial information.  They say you should hang up the phone immediately.  You can also report the incident to your state’s attorney general and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

If you already received a phone call and provided personal or financial information to the scammer or sent them money, VA’s article also has information about what you should do in those situations.

Travis Studdard is an attorney who focuses on representing veterans in VA disability compensation claims.  He regularly writes about issues that are important to veterans and their families.

You can subscribe to his Veterans Disability channel on YouTube.

I saw Travis on some YouTube videos. It was the way he worded things, I just felt compelled to contact them about my situation, he seemed trustworthy. Travis told me he thought he could help me. I was hesitant, but proceeded. The claim process was long, but my claim was granted. They are organized and punctual. Jessica and Travis are a strong team. I feel the Lord led me to Perkins & Studdard. I consider Travis an advocate and friend. ThanksCorby Reese
It has been a pleasure working with Jason and firm, very knowledgeable and professional, He did awesome job to get settlement that I need for my workmen comp case which was fair in my case, cause the insurance company was trying low ball me and not give me nothing but Jason fix that ….I truly recommend Perkins&studdard any workmen comp case that you have and also want thank Tina also for helping me along this process Thank you Perkins&studdardjahbari swint
Thank you Jason and Tina for everything you've done. Much appreciated. Great law firm! Great results!! Thank you!!! (Austin and Valerie)Valerie Mellinger
Travis and the team working on my VA claim are awesome. I’m happy with their integrity and diligence on working on my claim.Chris “Greybeard” Mullennix
I can't express enough how great it was to work with Perkins Studdard. They are extremely knowledgeable, professional and keep you aware of everything happening with your case. Very friendly from the front office to Mr. Perkins. I would HIGHLY recommend Perkins Studdard!James Strickland
I recommend Travis for an Veteran that has been dealing with constant denial with claims. He also , cover cost for my nexus letter when I ran into financial troubles , that helped me win my case.edwin Cook
I highly recommend Travis Studdard to represent anyone looking to help with VA claims. The VA is very difficult to deal with when attempting to get benefits from service connected injuries, at least that's my experience. Travis and his team knows the VA system and the legal procedures to help you get what you deserve. Travis was kind and passionate with me throughout this process and therefore, I highly recommend this law firm to represent DAV's.Terry Hembree
Such an awesome team. They spoke to me like a person and helped me through every decision with knowledge.Kevin Collett
Highly recommend this firm. Did exactly what they said they were going to and fairly timely. The VA is sometimes extremely difficult to navigate but this took all the leg work away from me and got me the result I thought was fair.Andrew Boone
Amazing staff, very informed along with excellent communication. Within just a few weeks of work, Mr Studdard was able to make things happen that normally take years! Highly recommendJacob Sylvester

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