The Trusted Scout: Scams Known to Specifically Target Military Men and Women

October 2012 l Volume II l Issue 20

IN THIS MONTH'S EDITION

Scams Known to Target Military Men and Women

Roth Contributions to Open to All Active-duty Troops

Picture of the Month

AF Pararescueman repels down close quarters during the annual Pararescuemen Jumpers Rodeo Competition in Westhampton Beach, N.Y., Sept. 20, 2012. U.S. Air Force photo by Sr. Airman Christopher Muncy

SPONSER SPOTLIGHT

BBB Military Line greatly appreciates support from Capital One, without whom our efforts on behalf of military consumers would not be possible.

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors

SCAM ALERTS!

Scams Known to Specifically Target Military Men and Women

Experts say some of those too-good-to-be-true deals are designed and targeted directly at service members.

On the BBB's web site, military members can subscribe to newsletters that pertain to their particular branch of service. The updates are designed to keep them in the loop on any consumer threats or alerts that specifically target the military population.

Scammers Steal Military Identities

The Oklahoma Army National Guard is alerting military families about con artists stealing soldiers' identities, posing as them, and asking for financial aid.

The Guard's Major Geoff Legler told FOX23 News that two cases have been confirmed in recent months. Most recently, a scam artist posed a soldier trying to get home after being deployed. He stole a soldier's picture off Facebook or another social website and started posting on the Internet for financial help to get home.

Scam Watch: Online Pharmacy, Tech Support, IRS Email

Online pharmacy - A Canadian man, accused of conspiring to send counterfeit prescription drugs to U.S. patients, has pleaded guilty to a criminal charge in the United States.

Tech support - A U.S. judge has halted six separate scams in which victims were told that their home computers were infected with viruses or spyware and that they needed to pay fees in order to have the problems resolved, the Federal Trade Commission announced.

IRS email - The Better Business Bureau is warning about an email scam in which victims are told that their electronic payments to the Internal Revenue Service have failed.

MILITARY CONSUMER

ISSUES & INITIATIVES

Roth Contributions to Open to All Active-duty Troops

Beginning Oct. 1, active-duty members of the Army, Navy and Air Force will be able to contribute to the Roth Thrift Savings Plan as part of their investment planning, Defense Financing and Accounting Service officials said today.

Housing Referral Website Sharpens Its Approach

Finding a place to live involves more than the number of bedrooms and baths. Whether moving to a new duty station far or near, service members often must find a place quickly.

CFPB Orders American Express to Pay $85 Million Refund to Consumers Harmed By Illegal Credit Card Practices

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced on Oct. 1, 2012 an enforcement action with orders requiring three American Express subsidiaries to refund an estimated $85 million to approximately 250,000 customers for illegal card practices. This action is the result of a multi-part federal investigation which found that at every stage of the consumer experience, from marketing to enrollment to payment to debt collection, American Express violated consumer protection laws.

I'm Not a Job Hopper ... I'm a Military Spouse!

Imagine you are a hiring manager at a company. You have a shoebox-sized office, painted grey with a low-hanging white board covering one wall. On the board are pink and green sticky notes with names and notes - a paper conversation about your recent task: Find the perfect person for an emerging role at your company. The job requirements include logistics, e-commerce saavy, basic WordPress skills, knowledge of grant writing and a few other skills. Roger that, you say, and out in the great e-yonder you venture to hunt for a hungry new employee.

What You Should Save By 35, 45, and 55 To Be On Target

Financial rules of thumb are just that. If you follow them, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you've taken action - but they do not guarantee you'll get the results you desire. Still, in the savings game guideposts can be especially useful. A near-term target will help you get started, and that's half the battle.

WHO WE SERVE

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Anthony Ulrich, center, and U.S. troops arrive at the provincial governor's compound in Farah City in Afghanistan's Farah province, Sept. 27, 2012. Ulrich, a civil affairs commander, and the troops are assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Benjamin Addison

SCAM ALERTS Continued...

Scammers Posing as Gmail Entice Victims with Free iPad

There are two words that will create excitement for almost any tech-savvy consumer - free and Apple. After all, who wouldn't want a free Apple, Inc. product? While many legitimate companies' raffle off Apple gifts to create buzz about their business, BBB wants consumers to remember that everything that glitters isn't gold.

Major Banks Hit with Biggest Cyberattacks in History

Since Sept. 19, the websites of Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500), Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500), U.S. Bank (USB, Fortune 500) and PNC Bank have all suffered day-long slowdowns and been sporadically unreachable for many customers. The attackers, who took aim at Bank of America first, went after their targets in sequence. Thursday's victim, PNC's website, was inaccessible at the time this article was published.

As a partner in the Joining Forces Initiative and DOD Financial Readiness Campaign, BBB Military Line^® brings BBB consumer education and services to military personnel (including Reservists and National Guard), retirees, DoD civilians, and their families.