How Scammers Prey on Veterans...and How to Protect Yourself

BY Michael Gorin

Veterans are a unique and proud part of the nation. We stepped up and took an oath to serve our nation in peace and in war. As a result, many of us earned benefits we fought for over many years. Unfortunately, there are people lurking nearby who want to defraud us of them.

Although veterans make up only about 6 percent of the U.S. population, data suggest they suffer disproportionately from fraud. According to Federal Trade Commission data and AARP analysis, veterans and military retirees report higher median losses from scams, about $700 per incident, compared with $497 for the general population. A separate AARP survey found that veterans, servicemembers, and military families are nearly 40 percent more likely than civilians to lose money to fraud.

What’s more, according to FTC data, military consumers reported more than 99,000 fraud complaints in 2024, with total losses of $584-million; military retirees and veterans accounted for nearly 79,000 of those reports, resulting in $419-million in losses.

It can be difficult to identify those seeking to exploit our benefits. They can be a friendly face, someone you see in social settings, someone claiming to have “expertise” that would benefit you, or someone convincing you that you have a problem only they have the solution to.

Fraudsters may share common values with you, such as belonging to the same social organizations. They may look, act, and think like you. And sadly, they may themselves be veterans. The latter is known as affinity fraud, in which shared identity and common values are exploited to build trust.

Fraudsters are adept at spotting opportunities and use different tactics to accomplish their goals. That includes impersonation, in which scammers may portray themselves as VA officials or contractors working with the VA on pension transfers. In one version, known as pension poaching, a fraudster pretends there is a legitimate way to move a veteran’s pension or retirement benefits in order to obtain a better financial return. This may also be packaged with an “investment opportunity” and include requests for processing fees.

Another common technique is phishing, in which fake emails, texts, or websites are used to steal personal information. Scammers may dangle limited-time offers and enticing promises of “exclusive deals just for veterans” if you click on a link they provide. Once there, you will be asked for your personal information, including bank-account details. The FTC has also reported sharp growth in losses from scams begun by text messages, underscoring how often these schemes now start on a phone screen.

Debt-consolidation schemes are also increasingly common. Often sold as a “fresh start,” too many are designed to profit from people who are already under severe financial strain. By promising to gather several debts into one “easy” monthly payment, these operators appeal to borrowers who are frightened, overwhelmed, and looking for a way out. What they often deliver instead are hefty fees, stretched-out repayment terms, and new obligations that can leave a person paying more over time, not less.

For many working families and veterans on fixed incomes, such arrangements can deepen the very hardship they claim to solve, turning financial vulnerability into somebody else’s business model. FTC data show that mortgage-foreclosure relief and debt-management scams remained among the higher-loss fraud categories in 2024, with a median reported loss of $1,500 overall and $1,356 among military consumers.

Finally, be aware of romance scams, which target lonely veterans by exploiting trust, affection, and the need for companionship in order to steal money. These schemes may begin with friendly messages, flattering attention, and what appears to be a genuine emotional bond, only to shift over time into requests for cash, gift cards, bank transfers, or personal information.

In today’s world, the danger is even greater because scammers can use stolen photos, fabricated profiles, and AI-generated images and messages to create a convincing false identity. For older veterans, widows, widowers, and others living alone, the harm can go far beyond financial loss, leaving behind humiliation, heartbreak, and a deep sense of betrayal.

The FTC classifies false claims of romantic interest as one form of imposter scam, a category that produced nearly $3 billion in reported losses in 2024.

All is not hopeless. While we cannot completely eliminate fraud committed against veterans, we can do a great deal to reduce it, often in common-sense ways.

It’s a good idea to create a list of all of your trusted sources—the names of businesses you deal with, such as the VA, VVA, banks, and mortgage companies, along with their websites, email addresses, phone numbers, and the names of people you personally trust.

If you receive an email, text, or phone call from any of the institutions on that list, do not respond directly, even if the contact information looks identical to what you have written down. Instead, consult your trusted list and use that information to place the call or send the email yourself. Ask if they contacted you about the matter and let them guide you through the next steps.

A simple rule to keep in mind is the S.T.O.P. method in all your dealings with information you receive by telephone, text, or email:

STOP: Don’t act on impulse.

THINK: Does this make sense? Does it sound realistic? Would a real company or person act this way?

OBSERVE: Look closely. Is the email legitimate? Are there spelling errors or strange links? Are they asking for money, gift cards, or personal information?

PAUSE: Take a deep breath. Slow down. Think things through before responding. Ask yourself: Why am I being approached?

The good news is that scammers are not unbeatable. Veterans have spent a lifetime learning how to read a situation, trust their instincts, and protect the people beside them. Those same habits still matter.

So, slow down, verify, ask questions, and never let anyone pressure you into acting before you are certain who they are and what they want. In the end, one of the strongest defenses against fraud is the same bond that has always sustained the veteran community: watching each other’s backs.

Michael Gorin served on active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard from 1970-74. As a senior analyst with the U.S. General Accounting Office, he had a career helping to write reports and testimonies for Congress. He is currently a member of the All Veterans Honor Guard team at Ft. Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado, rendering final military honors to veterans being interred there. He also volunteers at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, in Aurora, Colorado.

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