I just received a notice in my email from our family support center about a scam that is targeting military families.
The email, as I received it, is posted after the jump. Please take the time to inform yourself of the situation - that's your protection.
New Scam Targeting Military Spouses: The American Red Cross has learned
about a new scam targeting military families. This scam takes the form
of false information being told to military families as described below:
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 states they couldn't start treatment until paperwork was
accomplished, and that in order to start the paperwork they needed the
spouse to verify her husband's social security number and date of birth.
In this case, the spouse was quick to catch on and she did not provide
any information to the caller.
American Red Cross representatives typically do not contact military
members/dependents directly and almost always go through a commander or
first sergeant channels. Military family members are urged not to give
out any personal information over the phone if contacted by
unknown/unverified individuals, to include confirmation that your spouse
is deployed.
It is a federal crime, punishable by up to 5 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
their military member has been injured. Should any military family
member receive such a call, they are urged to report it to their local
Family Readiness Group or Military Personnel Flight.
The American Red Cross ensures that the American people are in touch
with their family members serving in the United States military by
operating a communications network that is open 24-hours, 7 days-a-week,
365 days-a-year. Through a network of employees and volunteers at Red
Cross national that link families during emergencies, access to
emergency financial assistance, confidential counseling, community
support headquarters, local chapters, on military installations, and
deployed with troops, the Red Cross offers a broad range of services.
Among these services, the Red Cross provides communications for families
left behind, assistance to veterans, and preparedness courses for
military personnel and their families For more information visit the
American Red Cross website at http://www.redcross.org/.
