Protect Yourself from Identity Theft, Fraud and VA Benefits Scams

As a veteran, you have access to benefits. To scammers, those benefits are seen as a reliable and steady income.  Fraudsters know you trust military and government organizations, so they try to trick you into giving up personal information or money.

The number of people who fall victim to identity theft and fraud is actually very staggering. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) annual report breaking down fraud, the military community made up more than 210,000 reports in 2024 totaling $584 million in losses. A deeper look into those numbers show that nearly 80% of those reports came from veterans or military retirees. I say that not to scare you, but to help emphasize the importance of staying vigilant with your personal data, especially if you’ve served in the military.

How to Protect Your Personal Information

With the increase of scams and targeting you and your benefits, it’s as important as ever to make sure you’re keeping your personal information safe. 

Common scams include:

• Fake VA or government calls asking for your personal or financial details.
• Bogus military charities asking for donations that don’t go to veterans.
• Scammers promising fast access to benefits for a fee.
• Identity theft through phishing emails, phone calls, or fake websites.
• Scams related to the PACT Act or other new veteran-focused laws.

So here’s a look at some easy approaches you can do to keep your personal information and money safe. 

Secure Your VA and Military Benefits

Make sure you only work with VA-approved representatives when filing claims. The VA does offer an accreditation tool to make sure they’re approved.

When it comes to your benefits, be sure to double-check your benefits on your payment information. To do that, you can do a few things, like looking at the amount of benefits you’re receiving, and compare it to the rates you’re eligible to receive. 

Example: If you see your retirement pay is supposed to be a certain amount, and your VA disability pay is supposed to be a certain amount based on your eligibilites. Check your MyVA account, which will likely have a type of paystub or proof of what benefits you received this month. After that check the account they’re supposed to be deposited to on the pay date. If you notice that there is money missing or that you didn’t receive it, you may have had your personal information compromised, and scammers are taking your money. 

Also, keep an eye out for offers that sound to good to be true. I know this can sound a little bit like a moving target because the VA does offer some really impactful benefits that you may think are not correct but in fact are legitimate. But keep believe it or not, there are lots of scams that sound true, or are just slightly false, so you may think they’re okay. The big catch you need to watch for in these instances is if it asks you for money. If so, it’s likely a scam, and you need to follow-up by reach out to the VA, a trusted Veteran Service Organization (VSO) or a loved one who may be able to help you determine if it’s a scam.

Note from the author: So many times I’ve heard of people getting scammed and when asked why they didn’t question it more, they feared it would make them look overwhelmed or “dumb.” Please dont’ feel that way, there’s a reason scammers get hundreds of millions of dollars a year from Americans, they’re convincing. So take it easy on yourself, if you’re just not sure, ask. What’s the worse thing that can happen if you hold off and wait? You find out that the offer is legitimate and then follow-through with it the next day? But if you don’t look to ask for clarification, the worst-case scenario could end up being the loss of your retirement savings!

Strengthen Your Online Security

Now let’s look at things from a more general online presence perspective. One common practice these days, have a unique password for accounts that you use to log-in to receive financial benefits like the MyVA, your bank or credit union, credit card companies, etc. I know, I know, having the same password for bank, MyVA and Netflix account is just easier, but in the world we live in now, it’s just playing with fire. 

Another thing you should be turning on is two-factor authentication (TFA). If you’re not sure what that is but see it with some of your accounts, it’s just a way for the company, site, etc., to make sure the person logging in to access your money or benefits is actually you. It likely includes something like your phone number so it can text you to ask for certainty that you’re logging in. 

Before you hit “post,” think twice. I know it’s easy to want to share pictures or get super detailed about your personal life, your service time, or other information linked to your military career on social media, but once it’s out there, anyone can see it. That includes scammers. I also understand that you may not realize that you’re giving scammers your information, but again, it’s better to act more cautiously. 

Protect Your Finances

The simple answer to the question “how do you keep your money protected?” is watch it. The more complex answer is where we tend to lose people. Yes, it would be great to just watch all your accounts, always. But, that’s not realistic.

To me, the best way to help you stay on top of your money, is to freeze your credit. That way credit reporting companies like Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion will monitor it, and prevent unauithorized people from running your information to get loads. 

Another way is training yourself with what I’ll call “triggers” that boost your awareness to a possible scam. The best option for a trigger that I would recommend is when you’re asked about banking information and details either over the phone or by e-mail. Questions on that topic should be a sign to focus in on what’s being specifically asked, and often times should lead to reluctance. 

In very rare situations do institutions ask for data like that over the phone, and if they do, it’s likely the case that you called them in the first place. In that case, you’re likely better because you searched for the correct information and followed through. It’s when someone cold-calls you or e-mails you asking for that information.

Finally, make it a point to be suspicious of pension or disability buyout scams that offer a lump sum in exchange for future payments.

Aura Protection

Watching your accounts, credit, and any other aspect of your personal identity can be overwhelming and possibly too time-consuming. To help with that, there are products like Aura that do the work for you.

Aura is an app that works to give you expanded cyber security in multiple ways. Some of its features are:

• Tracks all purchases from your credit cards, debit cards, or bank accounts
• Watches your credit and notifies you if there’s been a credit pull
• Offers real-time status updates on your credit so you can see if it’s dipping and what may be causing it
• Provides software protection for your phone
• Scans files added to your phone to check for any viruses
• Allows you to protect your phone when on public wifi with a VPN option
• Notifies you if a change has been made where a name is added to a home title, bank account, or car title
• Allows for encrypted messaging to family members and friends
• Offers an in-app vault that allows you to store passwords to accounts while also strengthening them so that they’re difficult for hackers while also securely stored so you don’t have to remember the uniquely long ones

Aura simplifies online security with identity and financial fraud prevention and tools like parental controls. In the event of an incident, Aura’s White Glove fraud resolution team is available 24/7 to help you navigate credit bureaus, initiate credit freezes or locks, and resolve issues. 

Bottom Line: Aura gives you the peace of mind you need to live your life – online and off. Learn more and get protection with Aura here.

How to Spot and Avoid Common Scams

Spotting a scam is becoming increasingly difficult, especially in the world of AI and deep-fakes, which give the false impression of a celebrity or individual with the purpose of tricking you. Unfortunately, it requires constant refreshers on what tactics people are using while also remembering some holistic truths. 

Government Impersonation Scams

First, watch for people pretending to be employees with the VA, representatives with TRICARE, or other military-related agencies.

• Red Flag: Someone asks for your Social Security number, bank info, or login details.
• What to Do: Hang up and call the agency directly to verify.

In most cases these agencies have your information already, or know how to access it. Especially if you’ve utilized your VA benefits before. Reps calling from those agencies will often direct you to things like MyVA or other online portals that require additional security. 

Fake Military Charities

This one personally irritates me more than most because it truly preys on the noble nature of many servicemembers, which is their need or desire to help others. They figure they can convince you to help others (most-likely fake military charities) because they know the military community looks out for its own. 

• Red Flag: High-pressure tactics, vague missions, or no proof of legitimacy.
• What to Do: Verify charities through Charity Navigator or the FTC’s approved charity list. Often times, a google search may also tip you off that others have had issues with the so-called charity/organization. 

VA Benefits and PACT Act Scams

With recent policy changes, more options for disability care are now available. Specifically, laws like the PACT Act. Scammers will often lead with new policies or laws because they believe you may have heard about it, but aren’t necessarily familiar with it, so they can play on “newness” of the law to trick people into giving up information related to their benefits. 

• Red Flag: Someone guarantees VA benefits or charges a fee to “speed up” your claim.
• What to Do: File your VA claims for free with accredited representatives at VA.gov.

This one is very straightforward, the VA is the one that pays out the benefits, so work with their people. Get the milk directly from the cow, metaphorically speaking. Once you start adding other people or steps in the process, you run the risk of leaving yourself vulnerable to fraud.

How to Report Scams and Identity Theft

If you think you’ve been targeted, report it right away:

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC): ReportFraud.ftc.gov
• VA Identity Theft Helpline: 1-855-578-5492
• Social Security Administration Fraud Line: 1-800-269-0271
• Better Business Bureau (BBB) Scam Tracker: BBB.org/ScamTracker

Final Thoughts

You served your country—don’t let scammers steal what you’ve earned. Stay alert, protect your personal information, and report fraud to help keep yourself and other veterans safe.

Please never be ashamed or embarrassed to ask someone else if someone calling or e-mailing you is a scam, especially if you’re being asked to give up vital information. 

I try to update this with content if new tactics arise, but stay vigilant because it may not update instantly here. For more tips and resources, visit Veteran.com.