As Veterans Day approaches, many Americans may be searching for opportunities to give back to those who have served our country by donating to charity. Unfortunately, malicious scammers on the internet are notorious for taking advantage of the honorary day by using communication techniques similar to trusted military nonprofits to mislead prospective donors.
FightCybercrime.org recently released an article discussing the top red flags of a veteran charity scam. According to the article, “Through targeted communications, scammers use names similar to well-known charities and flood their communications with words like “hero,” “sacrifice” and “disabled” to pull on the heartstrings of compassionate Americans. Oftentimes, these fake charities will create targeted lists by searching social media for people who support the military. Other times, these scammers will imitate existing fundraisers or charities around military observances—such as Veterans Day—when the military is top of mind.”