How the scam works:
If any of your family members are in the army, you might receive a phone call one day, from somebody claiming to be either a doctor in the infirmary, a Red Cross representative, a comrade, or one of his/her superiors.
The caller might give you bad news such as: “He has been hurt after a big explosion. He is in coma and needs surgery, but before we begin we need your blessing, along with some personal information and a fee to send him back home after”. In most of the cases, families are so shocked that they wire money to the scammers. Just keep in mind that Red Cross never contacts you with such cases.
Another variation of the scam comes as good news. “He has been admirable and we would like to surprise him with a 5-day permission. Just send us the usual $200 fee that soldiers have to pay for permission and you’ll see him home”.
How to avoid:
The military take care of payment for everything soldiers have to go through medically. There is no fee for permissions, either.
How to report:
Make your family and friends aware of this scam by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) using the link below:
How to protect yourself more:
If you want to be the first to find out the most notorious scams every week, feel free to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You’ll receive periodical emails and we promise not to spam. Last but not least, use the Comments section below to expose other scammers.
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