CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey's office is urging veterans to be on the lookout for potential scams targeting those who are eligible for benefits under the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act.
The PACT Act expands health care and benefits to an estimated five million veterans exposed to toxins such as Agent Orange or burn pits during the Vietnam, Gulf War and post-9/11 eras. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs indicated the target of the scams usually are older veterans.
“These scammers are stooping to a new low by focusing their schemes on our veterans, our men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country,” Morrisey said. “These fraudsters will stop at nothing to earn a buck, and my office will not leave any stones unturned to go after these criminals.
Morrisey
"Those who defraud veterans must be held accountable to the full extent of the law.”
According to the AG's office, the scams being reported by the VA include phishing (email), vishing (phone) and social media. Scammers use these methods to contact veterans and claim to be representing the VA.
The scam would then shift to offers of rapidly facilitating the extra benefits for a fee. There also are reported instances of identity theft as a result of the fraudulent contacts.
The VA offers these tips:
* Do not provide personal, benefits, medical or financial details online or over the phone. Federal agencies will not contact you unless you make a request.
* Do not click on online ads or engage with social media that seem suspicious.
* Check for “https://” at the start of website addresses.
* Enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts.
* Work with Veteran service providers you already know.
* Submit any suspected fraud to ftc.gov.
Here’s the official source of PACT Act information: www.VA.Gov/PACT.
Anyone who believes they have been the victim of a scam is asked to contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 800-368-8808 or visit the office online at www.ago.wv.gov.
