I think this is really cruel (scam alert!)

United States
June 22, 2007 7:57am CST
Military spouses have been warned about this. I think this is really cruel. It's sad how scammers will go to extremes to make a buck. Targetting military spouses whose husbands/wives are deployed. Shame on them!!!! Please pass this info on to any of your friends or family members who have loved ones who are deployed. Read about it from an extract I pulled out : The American Red Cross is warning military spouses about a new identity-theft scam that targets family members of deployed troops. The Red Cross was alerted of the scam earlier this month, said Devorah Goldburg of the Red Cross. The scam involves a person with an American accent calling a military spouse, identifying herself as a representative of the Red Cross, and telling the spouse that her husband was hurt in Iraq and was medically evacuated to Germany. The caller then says that doctors can’t start treatment until paperwork is completed, and that to start the paperwork they need the spouse to verify her husband’s social security number and date of birth. It is hard to determine how many spouses have been targeted by this scam, Ms. Goldburg said, as there are many ways for spouses to report problems like this. However, one confirmed report was enough for the Red Cross to act, she said. “We know that it happened to one person; it was probably going to happen to others, and we wanted to be prudent and alert people,” she said. American Red Cross representatives typically do not contact military members or dependents directly and almost always go through a commander or first sergeant, according to a Red Cross news release. Military family members are urged not to give out any personal information over the phone if contacted by unknown individuals, including confirmation that their spouse is deployed. In addition, Red Cross representatives contact military members or dependents directly only in response to an emergency message initiated by a family member, the news release said. The Red Cross does not report any type of casualty information to family members; the Defense Department will contact families directly about family members’ injuries. It is a federal crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, for a person to 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, according to the news release. Any military family member who receives such a call is urged to report it to his or her local family readiness group or military personnel flight.
4 people like this
9 responses
• United States
22 Jun 07
Wow, how could someone ever do that? Their spouses are off fighting and dying for our countries values and beliefs, doing such a thing is almost as close as treason (in my opinion). I hope no one is ever tricked by such a scam ever again cause that is just sad that someone would even do such a thing.
2 people like this
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
22 Jun 07
some low lifes will do anything for a few pounds, its simply low morality blessed be
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
22 Jun 07
Sadly this is nothing new. All our military towns are infested with people whose entire source of income is scamming our troops and their families.
1 person likes this
• United States
22 Jun 07
I know. For example, it's said that a lot of the vehicles that were in the Hurricane Katrina flood and other floods are being sent to military towns to be sold there cos' they are hoping that a lot of the young military members and spouses will not do proper vehicle checks prior to getting the vehicles. Sad, huh?
@usmcsgtwife (4997)
• United States
29 Jun 07
I heard about this throu my KV I think it is totaly wrong and cold hearted that anyone could do this espically when we have enought to worry about with our husbands being gone
1 person likes this
@tinamwhite (3252)
• United States
23 Jun 07
It never seem to amaze me the low that some people will sink to in order to steal from a another person... This absolutely makes me sick!!! I am glad that the Red Cross has passed this valuable information...
1 person likes this
@devilsangel (1817)
• United States
22 Jun 07
Sadly this doesn't surprise me at all. There are always those that try to scam people. I've learned a long time ago never to give out any of my personal information over the phone unless I know for sure who I'm talking to.. ie my doctor,lawyer,school rep, or family.
1 person likes this
@ShawnTG (26)
• Bahamas
22 Jun 07
This is really sad, and the thing is, often times these people never get caught, if they do get caght and I pray they do, they should be punished to the full extent of the law.
1 person likes this
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
22 Jun 07
this is really sick, how low can some people go. I have also heard of them contacting families asking for money to be sent suposedly from the soldier but actually from a posing scam thief
1 person likes this
@castleghost (1304)
• United States
22 Jun 07
I guess I can't be surprised by this. There are some nasty people in this world who would do anything to make an easy buck. Aren't these men and women sacrificing enough by having their loved ones in a war zone? I don't think that the punishment is harsh enough. A harsher punishment might mean that these people decide to get off their lazy behinds and get a job to earn the money they want.
1 person likes this
• United States
22 Jun 07
I agree. This is really sick and twisted. These women are already stressed every day just worrying about their husbands' safety. And now someone plays on that fear. Only a true lowlife could think up or do something like this.
1 person likes this