Online shopping scams are targeting military members

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- "There are scams for everyone," said Jon Miller Steiger with the Federal Trade Commission, and that includes the military community.

That's why organizations like the FTC, the Better Business Bureau and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ramp up efforts during July -- Military Consumer Protection Month -- to increase awareness of consumer protections for servicemembers, veterans, and their families.

"Veterans, service members and their families... they have a steady income," Steiger said, adding that scammers try to get their hands on that money through different tactics.

"What we see are work-at-home scams, job opportunity scams that are targeting service members and particularly their families who are trying to get a little bit more money in the door," said Steiger. "Romance scams target veterans a lot, where again, people have moved around, or maybe young service members who don't have a lot of people where they're located."

Steiger said scammers also tend to follow the headlines, especially if that news has a significant impact on service members.

"The PACT act, which is giving benefits to veterans... now, there are scammers saying in order to get those benefits, you need to pay. We can help you get those benefits, you just need to pay up front," said Steiger. "Well, that's not true. You don't have to pay in order to get any of your VA benefits."

That's just one of the red flags Steiger said any consumer should watch for to put a stop to scams. You can spot them, by remembering the Four P's: Pretend, prize/problem, pressure and payment.

"The first is that the scammer will pretend to be someone," Steiger said. "This could be a company offering a job, it could be the VA, a government agency. But they are reaching out, out of the blue. They offer some sort of prize, or they talk about a problem. Whatever they're talking about, they start to pressure you."

Telling you that you need to act quickly, demanding money.

"They use a payment mechanism that's a little bit strange," said Steiger. "So, they'll ask you to pay with a gift card, or by a money wire."

Steiger said no legitimate organization operates that way.

"You should always, always, always, say, 'Thank you for telling me. Let me look into that.' And then you stop the conversation. Don't use the phone they gave you, don't use information that they gave you, go back to your own resources, and find the email or the telephone number, and follow up that way," Steiger said.

If any of that sounds like something you've experienced, report it to the FTC. That puts it on the agency's radar and alerts local law enforcement agencies of what's happening.