Veterans Day, celebrated each year November 11, is a time to honor the service and sacrifice of those who have served in the U.S. armed forces. It’s also a reminder of the need to protect veterans beyond their time in uniform.
Earlier this year, AARP surveyed veterans and active-duty military service members to learn more about their experiences and concerns around fraud. The findings reveal that veterans face a higher risk of fraud and are often targeted with tactics related to their military background, benefits, or deep sense of trust.
Nearly four in ten veterans, representing more than 7.5 million people, say they’ve received solicitations from someone pretending to be from the Department of Veterans Affairs or another government agency. About 28%, an estimated 5.5 million veterans, believe their veteran status made them a target.
While many veterans are already taking steps to stay safe online, more than one in three say there aren’t enough resources available to help protect them. That’s where the AARP Veterans Fraud Center comes in. This online education and resource hub helps veterans, service members, and their families learn how to spot and avoid scams.
Learn more about this research and the work AARP is doing to support America’s veterans at aarp.org/vetsfraudcenter.
Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.
This is a good, timely and accurate post regarding charity fraud. I have been checking with a cite called Charity Watch. They research charities and publish results.The one charity that I have a particular interest in is WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA. It is clearly a fake group.The primary problem with this so-called Non-profit organization/charity is that:
1- They buy their wreaths from one manufacturer Worcester Resources, Inc. only and refuse to accept any offers by competitors who sell wreaths for far less. Total payments to Worcester Resources during the 18 month period in 2022 was $43,222,500.
2- The senior executives of Wreaths Across AmericaWrea are married to the majority owners of Worcester. Wreaths across America may be non-profit in the IRS lexicon but the charity executives are sending millions of dollars to their husbands.
3- Wreaths Across America refuse an independent audit.
4 – A friend of mine here in St George, Maine who helps maintain graves said that the wreaths are placed at graves by churches and family members who bought them from the charity. The wreaths are placed willy-nilly at any grave, and they are good for only a week. The deceased and families get no benefit from this scam. What ticked her off was the grave worker volunteers must go and recover all rotted and rusty wreaths and dispose of them.
This fake charity needs to be shut down. Send the money to Tunnels to Towers if one wants to do a real service to veterans.
Check out Charity Watch for lots of info.
I posted a reply and now cannot find it…..
All comments are held for moderation which can take 24-48 hours. This policy eliminates spam and inappropriate comments. I have added links to your comment for Charity Watch, Wreaths Across America, and Worcester Resource, LLC.