Scams Targeting Military Personnel, Families

Nothing is sacred to scammers. Not even military personnel or their families.

July is National Military Consumer Protection Month, and Montana Attorney General Tim Fox addressed this issue recently on Montana Talks.

“We have actually set up a special page for military personnel on our Department of Justice website," Fox said. “I think our military personnel, particularly those that are deployed and their families, need to know their rights. They need to know what the scams are, the things that people do.”

The webpage includes advice such as:

• “Active Duty Alert” on a credit report if you are deployed.
• Watching out for employer or V.A. imposters.
• Never giving out personal or account information over the phone or internet to someone who contacted you first, which is good tip for everyone.

“You don’t have to pay anybody to get your military record,” Fox said. The site actually has a link to the milConnect service personnel website to request a record, with accessible instructions through the V.A. Links are also available on the site to verify any military charity or financial professional, and how to protect pensions and benefits.

For service personnel and their families, this is an excellent signpost to the protections that are available.

To visit the website CLICK HERE.