Military and Veterans Resource Center

I am a member of AARP fraud watch network in my state. Each month, we have a phone conference. I want to let the veterans out there know about a new resource. This comes from Jeff Abramos, who heads up our veteran’s military and families work which just had a huge launch with the new “Veterans Scams Resource Center.” Jeff had a conversation with Troy J. Broussard,  AARP Veterans’ Fraud Center. The center sent out a survey, where they found that one in three military veteran adults reported that they were losing money to scams that were trying to take advantage of the trust they have in the military community. They found veterans and active-duty service Members and their families were 40% more likely to lose money to scams and fraud than the civilian population.  In response to the survey, the fraud Center was set up.

The main focus is on how they can make folks aware of it, giving them a one stop shop tool which is extremely important. Jeff works with AARP and the office of Community Engagement.  He also co-leads with Pete Jeffries in the Veteran’s Military and their families initiative.  He is a Desert Storm veteran as well. He feels it’s very important that we produce these types of resources to protect those who have protected us. The AARP Veteran Fraud Center is designed to alert veterans and their families about these latest games and how to avoid them.  It was found the biggest growth was benefit buyouts turning over to the US Department of Veteran’s Pension and Disability Benefits for this supposedly lump sum, 47% which was huge. Another 32% was for fraudulent record scam paying for updated military records and then to fake charities.

The Fraud Center includes free resources, like the new AARP Watchdog Alerts and book “The Veterans Additions.” It’s going to highlight those tips to detect the most common scams. They work very closely with AARP Fraud Watch Network, with Jeff and the team,

To make sure that they can provide these resources, this one stop shops and also operation “Protect Veterans”, which is a program that works together with the United States Postal Inspection service, puts everything for veterans on one landing page where they can share with each other

Another resource is the following’

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
3033 Wilson Boulevard, Third Floor, Arlington, VA 22201
TAPS is always here for you with compassion and care 24/7 at  202. 588.TAPS (8277)
www.taps.org

In my book, “Identity Theft: A Victims Search for Justice,”  I wrote about a family friend who happened to be a colonel in the Army. She  was an Army nurse who helped bring me into the world over 60 years ago. My mother was gone, she was all I had left, even though she wasn’t technically a blood relative. A woman answered the phone saying she was my friend’s daughter. I knew she didn’t have children.

It turned out she was a major who worked with my friend, who ended up having a brain tumor, and passed away. She told everyone she was my friend’s daughter, which she wasn’t, and pretty much took everything. Police wouldn’t get involved because she was military, military wouldn’t get involved because they didn’t know me, they wouldn’t even listen to the private detective I hired who proved everything I said was true.

I never understood how it could happen, until I listens toMr. Broussard’s webinar.

I had spoken to some veterans while researching my book. Finding out this information helps me to understand a little better how this woman could have gotten away with what she did. I wanted other service members to know about these resources. Please don’t let what happened to my friend, a colonel in the Army, happen to you or your loved ones.

Thank you for your service, and happy Memorial Day

Deborah E. Joyce

read my blog@deborahejoyce.com