WASHINGTON – They look real, but they’re fake.
Emails are going out to military personnel and some civilian workers, suggesting that if they’re receiving disability benefits, they may be eligible for more. And, of course, all they have to do is send their vital financial records — Veterans Affairs award letters, retiree account statements and DD214s — off to an email address in Florida.
Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot’s office is warning that it is a scam. It’s made to look as though it was sent by Defense Finance and Accounting Services. The email even has a .mil domain. Franchot’s office says don’t take the bait.
Franchot reminds anyone getting unsolicited emails to beware. If you’re being offered something in exchange for personal/financial information, definitely have your guard up. If a mailing purports to be from a bank or government agency, contact the institution directly and independently to see if there’s anything to that email.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow Kate and WTOP on Twitter.
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