E-mail scams are becoming more and more common. Many e-mail scams attempt to obtain financial and other personal information from victims. One e-mail scam currently being used is an “offer” to help obtain additional money from the IRS for veterans receiving disability compensation benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The scam e-mail may indicate that it is coming from Defense Finance and Accounting Services or some other government entity. It even contains a link to a website that end in .mil so that it appears to be an official military website. This type of scam is commonly known as “phishing”.
This veterans e-mail scam, like other e-mail scams requests the veteran to provide personal and financial information. The information requested might include DD-214s, tax returns, VA award letters, account statements and other documents containing personal and financial information.
Once the scammers obtains this information, they can use it to try to illegally access bank accounts, credit cards, and other financial accounts. Because of that, it is very important to never disclose financial and personal information in response to an unsolicited e-mail or phone call. Some other helpful tips for how to recognize e-mail scams and how to protect yourself against them can be found here.
It is important to stay vigilant at protecting your personal information. In addition to e-mail scams, veterans should be aware that they need to be careful with their ID cards. Since identity theft is a growing problem, veterans should be aware of it and take efforts to protect themselves against it.
