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The Federal Trade Commission and the Attorneys General of several states have described an identity-thievery scam that targets the spouses of military members. In the scam, an identity (ID) thief calls the home of a member of the military who is on duty, stationed away from home. The thief gets the spouse of the military member on the phone. The ID thief tells the spouse that:

• the caller is with the Red Cross organization, and that the military member has been injured
• before some life-saving treatment can be administered to her or his spouse, necessary paperwork must be completed
• this paperwork requires Social Security numbers and birthdates
  

The caller can then use the misappropriated Social Security numbers and birthdates for many types of fraud based on identity theft.

Calling Families of Service Members

The Arkansas Attorney General's Office reported that they have gotten some seven or eight calls recently from residents who were contacted in such scams. As Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said in a recent press release, "It is reprehensible that people would try to illegally profit off of the brave men and women who are risking their lives fighting for our country…the only thing worse is that they do so by preying on the emotions of their husbands and wives.”

It is unwise to give such personal information to anyone who has made an unsolicited phone call or email requesting that information for whatever reason. Moreover, the Red Cross does not contact the family of a service member who has been injured or killed; the U.S. Department of Defense contacts the family directly.

The True Role of the Red Cross

An Arkansas Red Cross spokesman, William Barron, explained that the Red Cross does ask for Social Security numbers in some situations, but only in cases in which a family member contacts the Red Cross for help getting a service member home because of a family crisis such as the serious illness or death of a family member. When the Red Cross receives such a call, they use the numbers to verify the parties involved, and they contact physicians or the funeral home to verify the information provided by the family.

Barron noted, "Congress has designated us as the only people who can do this…we don’t call the family, but if they call us, we have to get their Social." The Red Cross also links families with military members through a 24-hour communications network.

(Source: www.texarkanagazette.com)

Have you been the victim of an identity theft scam? Contact a personal injury lawyer who is familiar with such scams, and get your rights upheld. 

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