The AARP Fraud Watch Network and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service today jointly announced the launch of  Operation Protect Veterans — a national campaign to warn those who have served in the military about scams and fraud schemes that target veterans.

With a new AARP survey showing that veterans are frequently targeted by scam artists and victimized twice as often as the rest of the public, the goal of the  Operation Protect Veterans education campaign is to leverage the extensive reach and communications capabilities of the two national organizations to help veterans avoid losing money to con artists.

"Unfortunately, the men and women who bravely served our country have become a prime target of telephone and online thieves," said AARP Chief Executive Officer  Jo Ann Jenkins. "While veterans are bombarded by the same scam pitches we all receive, our research found that they're also under special attack by a number of additional scams tailored just for them."



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to the  Fraud Watch Network's recent  survey 16 percent of U.S. veterans have lost money to fraudsters, as compared to 8 percent of nonveterans. Veterans also report that they are targeted by a large number of scams directly related to their military service or the veterans' benefits they receive.  Eighty percent of the veterans surveyed said they have encountered veteran-specific scams.

"The  U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to protect our veterans from scammers who continuously prey upon them for their own illicit gains," said  Guy Cottrell, Chief Postal Inspector.  "We will continue in our fraud prevention efforts to inform veterans about scam artists who fraudulently utilize advances in technology and tailor their pitches towards them."

In addition to showing how deliberate targeting may be leading to higher victimization rates among veterans, the survey also explored how veteran scam victims differ from the general public.  For instance, veteran scam victims say they are more likely to trust a person who has previously served in the military.  And victims say they are more likely to donate to charities that support our service members and veterans.

"To a savvy con-artist, stolen valor can be an extremely effective tool," said AARP's lead fraud researcher,  Douglas Shadel, Ph.D.  "We've heard from a number of former and current scam artists who tell us they specifically target vets with false claims of military service brotherhood, or that they know patriotism among vets can be a powerful window in to their hearts and wallets."

AARP and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are warning veterans and their families to be on the lookout for some of the most common schemes and scams directed at veterans, including:

To raise scam awareness among veterans and their families, Operation Protect Veterans is utilizing advertising, social media, email messages, brochures, mass mailings and a new website,  www.aarp.org/ProtectVeterans.  The Fraud Watch Network has also produced a Veterans edition of its popular  Watchdog Alert Handbook.  In a major component of the outreach campaign, printed materials will be distributed in many of the nation's 37,000 Post Offices and AARP's state offices.

Download the Watchdog Alert Handbook Below

AARP's membership includes 6.5 million veterans and the U.S. Postal Service is the nation's largest employer of veterans, with 113,000 of its workers having served in the military.y mornings.

Among other key findings of the Fraud Watch Network survey,  Under Fire: Military Veterans and Consumer Fraud in the United States: Veterans who became scam victims were more likely to have had a "negative life event," such as having suffered a serious injury or illness, struggled with mental health or addiction issues, or accumulated a significant amount of debt or suffered a large financial loss.

The  AARP Fraud Watch Network was launched in 2013 as a free resource for people of all ages.  The website provides information about fraud and scams, prevention tips from experts, an interactive  scam-tracking map, fun educational quizzes, and video  presentations featuring renowned security expert  Frank Abagnale.  Users may sign up for "Watchdog Alert" emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling.