Warning: New scam targeting military spouses

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

The American Red Cross has issued a warning about a new scam targeting military families. According to this alert, the con artist calls family members in an effort to get personal information that could be used in identity theft and other crimes.

The caller (young-sounding, American accent) calls a military spouse and identifies herself as a representative from the Red Cross. The caller states that the spouse’s husband (not identified by name) was hurt while on duty in Iraq and was med-evacuated to a hospital in Germany. The caller stated they couldn’t start treatment until paperwork was completed, and that in order to start the paperwork they needed verification of the injured spouse’s Social Security number and date of birth. In the reported case, the spouse was quick to catch on and she did not provide any information to the caller.

The American Red Cross representatives typically do not contact military members or dependents directly and almost always go through a commander or first sergeant. Military family members are urged not to give out any personal information over the phone about a deployed spouse.

It is a federal crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, for a person to falsely or fraudulently pretend to be a member of, or an agent for, the American National Red Cross for the purpose of soliciting, collecting or receiving money or material. In addition, American Red Cross representatives will contact military members/dependents directly only in response to an emergency message initiated by your family. The Red Cross does not report any type of casualty information to family members. The Department of Defense will contact families directly if a relative serving in the military has been injured.

Should a military family member receive such a call, the American Red Cross urges them to report it to their local Family Readiness Group or Military Personnel Flight.