New Scam Targeting Military Spouses[Link is Broken]
http://www.redcross.org WASHINGTON, Tuesday, May 29, 2007 — The American Red Cross has learned
about a new scam targeting military families. This scam takes the form of false
information to military families as described below:
The caller (young-sounding, American accent) calls a military spouse and
identifies herself as a representative from the Red Cross. The caller states
that the spouse's husband (not identified by name) was hurt while on duty in
Iraq and was med-evacuated to a hospital in Germany. The caller stated they
couldn't start treatment until paperwork was accomplished, and that in order to
start the paperwork they needed the spouse to verify her husband's social
security number and date of birth. In this case, the spouse was quick to catch
on and she did not provide any information to the caller.
The American Red Cross representatives typically do not contact military
members/dependents directly and almost always go through a commander or first
sergeant channels. Military family members are urged not to give out any
personal information over the phone if contacted by unknown/unverified
individuals, to include confirmation that your spouse is deployed.
It is a federal crime, punishable by up to 5 years in prison, for a person
to falsely or fraudulently pretend to be a member of, or an agent for, the
American National Red Cross for the purpose of soliciting, collecting, or
receiving money or material.
In addition, American Red Cross representatives will contact military
members/dependents directly only in response to an emergency message initiated
by your family. The Red Cross does not report any type of casualty information
to family members. The Department of Defense will contact families directly if
their military member has been injured. Should any military family member
receive such a call, they are urged to report it to their local Family Readiness
Group or Military Personnel Flight.
The American Red Cross ensures that the American people are in touch with
their family members serving in the United States military by operating a
communications network that is open 24-hours, 7 days-a-week, 365 days-a-year.
Through a network of employees and volunteers at Red Cross national that link
families during emergencies, access to emergency financial assistance,
confidential counseling, community support headquarters, local chapters, on
military installations, and deployed with troops, the Red Cross offers a broad
range of services. Among these services, the Red Cross provides communications
for families left behind, assistance to veterans, and preparedness courses for
military personnel and their families
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to
emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped
victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and
helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost
4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood
and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of
every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and
programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of
time, money, and blood to do its work.
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