Operation Protect Veterans:
Everything You Need to Know
“THEY PROTECTED US. NOW IT’S OUR TURN.”
~ United States Postal Inspection Service
Operation Protect Veterans
The time that veterans have spent in the service or on the battlefield protecting us may be over, but now it’s our turn to protect them.
Our veterans deserve a lot of things. Respect. Gratitude. Honor. Dignity. Security.
One thing they don’t deserve is criminals trying to take advantage of their service. Yet every day, scammers attempt to defraud our veterans of their hard-earned benefits, steal their identity, take their life savings, and worse.
In fact, according to a recent survey by AARP, veterans are at twice the risk of falling victim to scammers as their civilian counterparts. Many veterans report they have been targeted in scams that are directly related to their military service, while others have been targeted for the veterans’ benefits they receive.
Why are veterans the preferred target of many scammers?
From a psychological standpoint, it has everything to do with the military training they received.
Since the first day of boot camp or basic training, members of each of the military branches are taught and trained to work together as a team and rely on teamwork, to follow instructions from people in positions of authority, and to trust their fellow service members implicitly – even to the point of death.
This pledge of commitment is clear in the Navy SEAL’s ethos, the Army Ranger Creed, the Airborne Creed, the US Marine Creed, the Marine Raider (MARSOC) Creed, the Airman’s Creed, the Sailor’s Creed, and many others.
While indispensable in wartime, these attributes, in the hands of dubious criminals with nefarious intentions are ripe for manipulation and exploitation.
By the time their service commitment is up, be it one tour of duty or a 30+ year-long career, placing an allegiance of complete trust in their fellow service members has often become second nature.
Criminally-intent civilians have no such allegiance, but that doesn’t stop them from lying about it, however.
After transitioning to civilian life, that implicit trust is what makes many veterans vulnerable to imposters.
PTSD: The “Achilles Heel” For Veterans
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among former military service members is more than double the occurrence rate among the general population.
Scammers will frequently try to exploit this vulnerability using an “I know how you feel, I feel the same way”, “I lost some of my friends too”, or “We’re in this together” type of approach.
Relying on the trust engendered by the appearance of shared camaraderie can make it difficult, or even impossible, for many veterans to discern, recognize, and defeat the emotional manipulation used by scam artists.
“In a 2017 study involving 5,826 U.S. veterans, 12.9% were diagnosed with PTSD. This is a strikingly high rate compared to the incidence of PTSD among the general population: Just 6.8% of the U.S. population will experience PTSD at any point in their lives.”
~ Hill & Ponton Disability Attorneys
Joining Forces
That’s why the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and AARP have joined forces to create Operation Protect Veterans.
This page contains valuable information and resources veterans, their loved ones, and their friends can use to help protect against the scammers.
Together, we can fight back and take one small step to repay our veterans for the service they’ve given and the sacrifices they’ve made.
For veterans interested in legal funding, you can also visit our Ineligible Cases For Legal Funding page to learn more.
Know the Enemy – Current Scams:
Below are some of the current scams specifically targeting veterans:
- “Secret” Veteran Benefits Scam: Veterans are told they qualify for “secret” government programs or benefits that offer thousands of dollars – but first, they attempt to collect personal information or a fee.
- Fake Charitable Giving Request: Scammers make fraudulent claims about charitable giving benefits veterans of wounded service members.
- Benefits Buyout Offer: Scammers take advantage of veterans in need by offering a quick upfront buyout – usually at a fraction of the value – of future disability or pension payments.
- VA Loan Scams: Offers to refinance VA loans at extremely low rates.
- Bogus Employment Scam: Scammers post fake job descriptions to collect personal information from a veteran’s job application, or they charge an employment fee.
- Fraudulent Records Offer: Scammers try to charge Veterans a fee to access military records or government forms—information that is actually available for free through the National Archives (for military records) and VA.gov or local VA offices (for forms).
- VA Phishing Scam: Scammers posing as VA employees
- Update Your File Scam: An imposter, claiming to be from a government agency attempts to get a veteran’s personal information to “update their file” so they can maintain their benefits.
- “Secret” Veteran Benefits Scam: Veterans are told they qualify for “secret” government programs or benefits that offer thousands of dollars – but first, they attempt to collect personal information or a fee.
- Pension Poaching Scam: Scammers often offer veterans lump sum payments up front, in exchange for signing over all their future monthly benefit checks.
- Aid and Attendance Scam: Veterans (or their family members) receive an offer to move their assets into a living trust so that they can qualify for financial assisted-living benefits.
- Veterans Choice Program Scam: Scammers have set up a phone number nearly identical to the number veterans dial to find out if they are eligible to use approved health care providers outside of the VA system. Veterans call the fake number and a message prompts them to leave their credit card information in return for a rebate. They debit your account, and the vet gets nothing in return. Make sure to dial the correct number for the VCP: 866-606-8198.
- GI Bill Education Marketing Scam: Veterans seeking to take advantage of the GI Bill for college courses may be targets of deceptive marketing tactics that provide false information and encourage them to attend expensive for-profit educational institutions. The VA offers a comparison tool to help you locate a school and determine your benefits. Visit: www.vets.gov/education/gi-bill
- Special Deals for Veterans Scam: Scammers offer special discounts for veterans on a range of products, like loans and car purchases. Often, the products aren’t discounted at all, or they don’t actually exist. Check out offers carefully, and never wire money to someone you don’t know.
- Rental Scam: A scammer posts a fake rental property on a classified ad website offering discounts for active-duty military and veterans. You just need to wire transfer a security deposit to the landlord. Only, there is no rental property, and you just lost your security deposit.
- General Scams: Veterans can also be victims of scams not specifically targeting them for their service. These include mail fraud, telemarketing scams, email scams, internet scams, and more.
Do’s and Don’ts For Veterans
Report a Scam
Fear and embarrassment are two of a scammer’s greatest weapons. If you believe you or a loved one has been the victim of any sort of scam, DON’T BE ASHAMED! Help yourself and others by reporting it immediately.
☎ 877-908-3360 or click here to report a scam online.
You can also report it to the following federal afencies:
REPORT A POSTAL CRIME
Have you been victimized through the mail or have you witnessed a mail-related crime? You can alert Postal Inspectors to the problem and prevent others from being victimized.
Resource Center
Below are links to resources you, a friend, or a loved one can use to prevent or mitigate the damage caused by scammers:
- Operation Protect Veterans Brochure (English | Spanish)
- DAV Veteran Services Brochures
- AARP Fraud Watchdog Alert Handbook
- National Do Not Call Registry
- Charity Navigator
- BBB Wise Giving Alliance
- FTC Scam Alerts
- AARP Report: Under Fire: Military Veterans and Consumer Fraud
- FTC Complaint Assistant
- Internet Crime Complaint Center
- Postal Inspection Service
About Gold Star Legal Funding
Gold Star Legal Funding is a disabled veteran-owned, nationwide lawsuit funding company. We proudly support OperationProtectVeterans.com and the Operation Protect Veterans program, as well as many other veteran-owned and veteran support organizations.
Gold Star provides non-recourse pre settlement loans and post settlement funding to injured plaintiffs involved in personal injury and employment lawsuits. Some of our most popular loans on personal injury cases include pre settlement loans on auto accidents, medical malpractice lawsuits, slip and fall injuries, and workers comp settlement loans.
The financing we provide is non-recourse, which means a plaintiff is only required to repay their advance if they win their case. If they lose or their case doesn’t settle, they owe us nothing.