Survey: Servicemembers, Veterans More Likely to Be Scammed Than Civilians

Survey: Servicemembers, Veterans More Likely to Be Scammed Than Civilians
Illustration by Regina Ali/DoD

Have you ever felt like you’re getting a higher-than-average chunk of scam calls, texts, emails, or social media posts? Turns out, you could be right.

 

Servicemembers and veterans are 40% more likely to lose money to scams than their civilian counterparts, according to a survey released last month. They also report receiving more scam attempts across a variety of platforms (robocalls, suspicious texts, and spam emails) and subjects (tech support scams, fake prize notifications, and phishing).

 

[MOAA’S 3-PART SERIES: Don’t Be Scammed]

 

Among some of the key figures from the survey, produced by AARP Research:

  • 67% of military/veteran survey respondents reported receiving a tech-support scam offer, compared to 58% of civilians.
  • 25% of military/veteran respondents reported falling victim to an IRS imposter scam, compared to just 13% of civilians.
  • 36% of military/veteran respondents reported losing money as part of a grandparent imposter scam, compared to 17% of civilians.

 

Not familiar with a grandparent imposter scam? Check out the ScamSpotter.org video below:

 

 

It gets worse for those who’ve spent time in uniform: 1 in 3 servicemembers/veterans who responded to the survey reported losing money in service-connected scams. These include fraudulent promises of VA benefit buyouts, paying to obtain or change personnel records, and donations to fake veteran charities.

 

[RELATED: What is ‘Pension Poaching,’ and How Can You Avoid It?]

 

The findings echo the results from a similar AARP survey in 2017. The ever-present nature of this threat is one of many reasons MOAA has partnered with dozens of fellow military and veteran service organizations, along with other nonprofits and federal agencies, as part of the military and veteran program of the Partnership to Fight Cybercrime. Visit FightCybercrime.org/milvet-resources/ for guidance on avoiding these scams, and how to report them to your military branch.

 

Protect Yourself With the Most Powerful,  Comprehensive Identity Protection

Let Identity Guard help protect you and your family. 20% off for MOAA members and their families. (MOAA member login required)

Learn More

About the Author

Kevin Lilley
Kevin Lilley

Lilley serves as MOAA's digital content manager. His duties include producing, editing, and managing content for a variety of platforms, with a concentration on The MOAA Newsletter and MOAA.org. Follow him on X: @KRLilley