Veterans Healthcare Phone Scam

It takes a real monster to steal money from veterans trying to receive health care, but that’s exactly what this scam is.

Who Is It Targeting: Members of Veterans Choice Program

What Is It: Spoofed phone number that steals your credit card info

What Are They After: Veterans who are eligible to receive care from the Veterans Choice Program are able to seek medical care from a provider outside of the VA network. They simply need to call the number first and approve the treatment ahead of time.

Unfortunately, scammers in Florida have created a fake phone number that masquerades as the Veterans Choice Program phone number. When patients call to confirm their eligibility, they’re told they will receive a rebate on their care, and that the program will refund the money to their credit cards. Unwitting victims turn over their credit card refund in order to receive their phony rebates and end up having their cards stolen.

How Can You Avoid It:

• Always verify the contact information for a company before turning over any information.
• If you’re contacted by a caller or via email, do not respond with information or money; initiate a new conversation using the verified contact information.

Find more information about current scams and alerts here. For full details of this scam check out this article from 10News.com.

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530.