VA offers help for veterans and their families to avoid getting scammed

Scammers work hard, day and night, to steal people’s money. Now veterans, service members and their families have their own website and hotline to help guard against fraud and scams aimed at their community.

Many scams are being targeted at veterans and their family members because of the military benefits they receive.

Among those scams are attempts to swindle vets from their monthly disability benefits, or to convince them to apply for benefits they are not eligible for.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) also reports scammers are targeting new VA health care benefits awarded in the last two years under the PACT Act to veterans exposed to toxic substances.

To fight the large number of scams aimed at veterans’ community, the VA has launched the website VSAFE.org and the call center 1-833-38 VSAFE (1-833-388-7233).

Both the website and the call center are intended to inform individuals about fraudulent schemes and give them a place to report scams, or suspected scams they encounter.

As a telltale for possible scams, the VA reminds everybody it does not charge fees to apply for benefits.

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Dick Uliano

Whether anchoring the news inside the Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center or reporting from the scene in Maryland, Virginia or the District, Dick Uliano is always looking for the stories that really impact people's lives.

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