Scam Targets Military Personnel Families
There is a warning for everyone to be cautious of a scam that is targeting the families of the military.
The scam involves individuals impersonating Red Cross officials.
The caller identifies themselves as a representative from the Red Cross. They tell the unknowing family member that their loved one was hurt while on duty in Iraq and was evacuated to a hospital in Germany.
In one or more cases, the caller stated that doctors could not start treatment of the soldier until the paperwork was finished. In order to start the paperwork, the caller needed the family member to verify their soldiers social security number and date of birth.
If you have a loved one serving in the military, please be very cautious of this scam.
The American Red Cross representatives typically do not contact military members or ther dependants directly, and almost always go through a commander or first sergeant channels.
Military family members are urged not to give out personal information over the telephone if contacted by unknown or unverified individuals.
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 Red Cross for the purpose of soliciting, collecting, or receiving money or material.
The American Red Cross representatives will contact military family members directly, only if the emergency message was initiated by the family themselves.
The Red Cross does not report any casualty information to family members.
The Department of Defense will contact the family directly if their military member has been injured.
If you are a military family member and you receive such a call, you are urged to report it to the local family rediness group, military personnel or law enforcement.
