BBB Warning: scams targeting military and their families

CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Better Business Bureau is urging consumers and donors to be on the lookout for deals that seem too good to be true, and for disreputable charities this Memorial Day.

The BBB said scammers are targeting those who are currently serving or those who have served their country, especially elderly veterans.

"The unique lifestyle of our service members makes them prime targets for scammers, " said Brenda Linnington, Director of BBB Military Line. "It's imperative that we educate our service members and ensure that the support we give to them equals the effort they make every day on behalf of us."

Linnington said scams can include those that target service personnel and their families directly, but also those that appear to be helping military members via charities.

The BBB warns there are a number of questionable charities claiming to help soldiers and veterans that actually provide little or no support.

Among the other scams to watch out for:

-Email asking veterans to update their credit card, bank, or other financial records with the Veterans Administration.
-Charging service members for services they could get for free or less expensively elsewhere, such as military records.
-Advertising housing online with military discounts and incentives, and then bilking service personnel out of the security deposit.
-Trying to sell things like security systems to spouses of deployed military personnel by claiming the service member ordered it to protect his or her family.
-Selling stolen vehicles at low prices by claiming to be soldiers who need to sell fast because they've been deployed.

BBB advises service members, veterans and all consumers never to give personal identification information  to anyone who contacts you by phone or e-mail.  You should also be wary of any solicitations that involve purchasing something or transferring money.

The BBB Military Line Program offers members of all branches of the military valuable, free resources to help them protect their finances and identities.

These resources and many more can be found at http://clevelandbbb.org/military-line .