Military Families Warned of Red Cross Scam
June 2, 2007 by John Allen · Leave a Comment
New Scam by Identity Thieves Targets Military Families
The American Red Cross has issued a scam alert warning against a new tactic used by identity thieves, and you won't believe who they're targeting.
Military families of deployed troops have become bait for identity thieves. The American Red Cross says there's no way to tell how many have been targeted, but even one is too many.
It’s a scam hitting close to home for people with loved ones far from home.
“It’s preying on those who are most vulnerable, people who are really giving of themselves to sacrifice possibly everything for our country,” says Tammy Lee, Executive Director of the Siouxland Red Cross…
The American Red Cross says someone identifying themselves with their organization has been calling the wives of deployed servicemen and telling them their husband has been hurt.
“That before treatment can be provided they need critical pieces of personal information such as their name, their social security number.”
It’s a call a real Red Cross worker would never make and information they say they would never ask for. A legitimate call would come from the military directly.
“The Red Cross does not have that role. The Red Cross does not contact the military family members for casualty or any other reason.”
The first known report of the scam attempt came earlier this month in South Carolina.
“This is something that was caught onto right away and it was reported immediately.”
For the perpetrators, it’s a crime that could put them in jail for up to five years.
“This kind of a scam really is very disturbing and it’s important that people are aware of it and that they take precautions to protect themselves.”
If you get this kind of call you should report it immediately to your local family readiness group or military personnel flight.
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