FBI urges holiday shoppers to beware of online scammers
Kurt 'The CyberGuy' Knutsson breaks down the 'perfect storm' for scammers to prey on Americans and how to protect yourself. He also discusses OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's potential space aspirations.
This Memorial Day, while the rest of the country pauses to honor the fallen, scammers are doing something else entirely. They're running searches.
They're pulling military records. Cross-referencing VA enrollment data. Mapping disability ratings. And building detailed profiles on the men and women who served this country, then using that information to steal from them.
It's not a side hustle. It's an industry. And veterans, because of the very nature of their service, are uniquely exposed to it. Here's exactly what's happening and what you can do to stop it.
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META MEDICARE SCAM ADS TARGETING SENIORS FACE SCRUTINY
Scammers are targeting veterans using military records, VA data and people-search sites to build detailed fraud profiles ahead of Memorial Day. (Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Why veterans are easy targets for scams
Most people don't realize how much information military service generates and how much of it is semi-public.
When you serve, your records include:
- Full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Branch of service, rank, and dates of service
- Discharge status and type
- Disability ratings and VA benefit enrollment
- Home addresses connected to VA correspondence
- Next-of-kin information.
Much of this sits in federal databases, discharge paperwork, and public-facing records that data brokers have learned to scrape, package, and resell. The result: before a scammer ever picks up the phone, they already know more about a veteran than most of the veteran's neighbors do.
How DD-214 records can expose veterans to scams
If you've served in the U.S. military, you have a DD-214. It's your Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, and it contains nearly everything a fraudster could want.
Full name. Social Security number (on older forms). Dates of service. Character of discharge. Job specialty codes. Awards and decorations. Last duty station.
The DD-214 is required for veterans' benefits, employment, and housing applications. That means millions of veterans have submitted it to dozens of agencies, employers, and financial institutions over the years.
It also means copies of it can be sitting in more databases than most veterans ever imagined. Data brokers don't need to hack anything. They pull from public records requests, digitized government filings, and third-party aggregators. Once your DD-214 data is in the broker ecosystem, it gets bought, sold, and refreshed, appearing on people-search sites you've never heard of. And scammers buy it for a few dollars.
How much money are veterans losing to scams?
The numbers are devastating. According to the Federal Trade Commission's 2024 Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book, military consumers, including veterans, service members and their families, reported $584 million in fraud losses in 2024. That is up nearly 25% from the year before. Veterans and retirees reported the largest share of those losses, at $419 million. The median fraud loss for veterans was $700, which was higher than the $497 median across all FTC complaints.
AARP's 2025 research adds another troubling layer. It found that 27% of veterans, or more than 5 million people, have lost money to fraud. It also found that 39% of veterans have received solicitations from someone claiming to be from the VA or another government agency, and 28% believe their veteran status made them a target.
The VA has also warned that scammers are increasingly targeting veterans because of their government benefits and personal information. These scams often include government impostors, direct deposit fraud, phishing, identity theft, payment redirection and social media scams.
The takeaway is clear: this problem is getting worse, not better. Veterans are not being targeted randomly. Scammers know many have benefits, official records and a long-standing trust relationship with the VA. That makes a fake VA call or benefits message feel more believable, especially when the scammer already has pieces of personal information.
How scammers use data brokers to target veterans
Here's what the process actually looks like from a scammer's perspective.
Step 1: They search people-finder sites
It starts exactly where it starts with any target. They type your name into Spokeo, BeenVerified, Whitepages, or any of dozens of similar sites.
Within seconds, they see your age, home address, phone numbers, and the names of your relatives. For veterans, some profiles also surface military affiliation pulled from public records, LinkedIn, local news coverage of VA events, or obituaries.
That confirms you're the right person. That's the seed.
Step 2: They cross-reference VA enrollment signals
VA benefit enrollment information isn't entirely private. Mailing addresses tied to VA correspondence, enrollment in VA healthcare, and participation in VA community programs generate public footprints.
Data brokers specifically package "military consumer" and "veterans" audience segments and sell them to marketers and, as federal prosecutors have proven, sometimes directly to fraudsters.
A scammer who buys one of these lists knows they're calling a veteran. They know roughly what branch. In some cases, they know the disability rating category.
Step 3: They map the family
Data broker profiles don't stop at you. They include your spouse, your adult children, and your elderly parents.
For veterans, this matters enormously. Many older veterans live alone. Their spouses may be named beneficiaries on pension and survivor benefit plans. A scammer mapping your profile is also identifying your most vulnerable family members and their contact information.
Step 4: They pick the right scam for the profile
This is where veteran scams get more personal. Scammers often build their pitch around military benefits.
A veteran with VA disability enrollment may get a fake "benefits upgrade" call. An older veteran with pension income may be targeted by a pension-poaching scheme. A recently discharged veteran may get targeted with a fake GI Bill or education offer.
That is what makes these scams so dangerous. The caller may already know enough to sound official. They do not guess. They target.
The scams that are hitting veterans hardest right now
Here are the scams hitting veterans hardest right now, and the red flags that should make you pause before sharing personal or financial information.
1) VA impersonation calls
This is one of the most common scams targeting veterans.
A caller claims to be from the Department of Veterans Affairs. They may say your benefits are being reviewed, upgraded or suspended. Then they ask you to "verify" your information.
They may ask for your Social Security number, bank account details or date of birth. In many cases, they already have some of that information. They just need you to confirm the rest.
The VA does not call veterans out of the blue to ask for personal information. If you receive this kind of call, hang up. Then call the VA directly.
The DOJ charged a nationwide fraud ring that used VA impersonation calls to steal more than $7.6 million from veterans across 20 states. Prosecutors said the ring used purchased data lists to find targets. They also used scripts designed to sound like official government outreach.
TURNING 65? MONTH-BY-MONTH PLAN TO PROTECT YOURSELF
Veterans lost hundreds of millions to fraud last year as scammers used fake VA calls, pension schemes and data broker information to steal identities and money. (Kira Hofmann/picture alliance via Getty Images)
2) Pension poaching
This one is slower and more sophisticated, plus it costs veterans far more.
A "financial advisor" or "veterans benefits consultant" contacts you (often through mail or a community event) and offers to help you maximize your VA pension or Aid and Attendance benefits. They charge upfront fees, sometimes $5,000 to $20,000, for "restructuring" your assets to qualify for benefits you may already be entitled to for free.
In many cases, the restructuring involves transferring assets in ways that trigger Medicaid penalties or leave veterans financially stranded.
The VA explicitly prohibits charging fees to help veterans file claims. Anyone who charges you for this service is, at a minimum, violating federal law and often committing outright fraud.
3) Fake GI Bill and education benefit scams
Veterans leaving the military can become prime targets for fraudulent schools. These schools may promise fast training, job placement or help using GI Bill benefits.
A May 2025 report from Veterans Education Success showed how serious the problem can get. In Texas, the Retail Ready Career Center defrauded the VA of $72 million in GI Bill funds. Its CEO was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison.
In Georgia, House of Prayer Bible College ran a $22 million fraud scheme against the VA for 11 years. Investigators said the school kept operating even after internal reports raised serious concerns.
In both cases, VA oversight failures allowed the fraud to continue for years. The lesson is simple. Predatory schools actively target veterans, and the safety nets have real holes.
If someone offers to help you "maximize" your GI Bill benefits for a fee, walk away. Then contact the VA directly before sharing any personal information.
4) "Upgrade" or "grant" calls
A caller tells you the VA has approved you for a new grant, a cost-of-living adjustment, or a benefit you haven't been receiving. To release the funds, they need your bank account information to "direct deposit" the payment.
There is no unclaimed VA grant that requires you to provide banking information to a caller. This is a bank account takeover scam dressed in patriotic language.
I know what you are thinking, "But I never signed up for any data broker sites." You didn't have to. Military records are public records. Property filings are public records. Court documents are public records. Your address on a VA mailing list can be pulled from localized government databases. Your social media profiles, even those you haven't updated in years, are constantly indexed and scraped.
And the VA, like most government agencies, shares data with contractor systems that have their own security vulnerabilities. Once your information enters the data broker ecosystem, it gets bought and sold dozens of times legally. It appears on people-search sites, marketing lists, and "military consumer" segments sold directly to telemarketers and, as we've seen in federal prosecutions, to fraudsters. The only way to fight this is to actively remove your information.
How veterans can protect themselves from scams
You cannot stop every scammer from trying, but you can make it much harder for them to use your personal information against you.
1) Search for yourself first
Go to Spokeo.com, BeenVerified.com, Whitepages.com or even Google and type your name. See exactly what a scammer sees before they call. Pay attention to whether your address, relatives' names, and phone numbers are listed. That's your starting point.
2) Opt out manually or use a service that does it for you
Every major data broker is legally required to honor removal requests. The problem is that there are hundreds of them. Each one has its own opt-out process, and many re-list your information over time.
You can remove your information manually by visiting each data broker's opt-out page. Start with the big people-search sites, then check again every few months to see whether your name, address, phone number or relatives have reappeared.
You can also use a reputable data removal service to handle the process for you. These services send removal requests to data brokers on your behalf and keep monitoring for reappearing listings.
That ongoing protection matters for families, too. The scam that starts with a search of your name can quickly turn into a call to an elderly parent or a text to an adult child. Protecting yourself helps, but protecting your household gives scammers fewer ways in.
You can also run a free exposure scan online to see where your personal information appears. Results often show whether your address, phone number, relatives or other details are already circulating on people-search sites.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com
3) Never verify anything on an inbound call
The VA does not call you out of the blue to confirm your information, upgrade your benefits, or release a grant. If you get this call, hang up and call the VA directly at 1-800-827-1000.
4) Change your security questions
If your bank still uses "mother's maiden name," "city of birth," or "branch of military service" as verification questions, those answers are probably on a data broker site right now. Switch to nonsense answers only you'd know and store them in a password manager.
5) Set up a family code word
Tell your family members that if anyone claims to be you in an emergency, you have a word that proves it. Scammers use panic to bypass critical thinking. A simple code word breaks that spell.
6) File a report if you're targeted
Report VA impersonation to the VA OIG at 1-800-488-8244. Report pension scams and fake benefits calls to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Your report helps investigators build cases against active fraud rings.
YOUR 401(K) IS THE NEW IDENTITY THEFT TARGET
Military discharge records and VA enrollment data are fueling a growing wave of scams aimed at veterans and their families nationwide. (Photo by Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Kurt's key takeaways
The people who served this country deserve better than to spend their retirement watching out for criminals. Military discharge records, VA enrollment details and disability information can expose veterans in ways many families never realize. Scammers use that data to sound believable. They impersonate the VA, push fake benefit upgrades and run pension-poaching schemes that can drain savings fast. The VA will not call out of the blue to ask for personal information or banking details. If a call feels urgent, threatening or too good to be true, hang up. Then contact the VA directly. Removing your information from data broker sites can help reduce your exposure. However, it needs ongoing attention because personal details often reappear. That protection can matter even more for elderly relatives, spouses and family members who scammers may contact next. You served. You held up your end. Make sure the data economy does not turn that service into an opening for fraud. Search your name today. See what is out there. Then take steps to remove it. This Memorial Day, one of the best ways to honor veterans is to help make it harder for scammers to target them.
Should the VA, data brokers and lawmakers be doing more to keep veterans from becoming easy targets for scammers? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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