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  • Geebo 8:00 am on July 30, 2025 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , military family,   

    Fake IRS Letters Target Military Families 

    Fake IRS Letters Target Military Families

    By Greg Collier

    Military families in metro Atlanta are being warned about a tax-related scam that appears to target the loved ones of active-duty service members deployed overseas. The scheme involves fraudulent letters claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service. These letters demand payment for supposed back taxes and threaten the loss of property if the amount is not paid.

    The letters look official and often arrive via certified mail, which adds to their deceptive appearance. Families, already under emotional stress while their loved ones are deployed, may feel pressured to act quickly without verifying the source. This creates an ideal environment for scammers who rely on fear and confusion to extract money or personal information.

    Some families have reported difficulty confirming whether the tax debt is legitimate, especially with the added complication of time zone differences and limited communication during deployment. In at least one case, repeated calls to the IRS were required to confirm that no taxes were owed. Such scams can create unnecessary financial anxiety and emotional stress for those trying to support deployed relatives from afar.

    Organizations that monitor scams affecting military personnel say these individuals are often more vulnerable due to the nature of their service. Deployed members may not have regular access to email or financial accounts, and physical mail may go unchecked for long periods. This makes it easier for fraudulent claims to go unnoticed or unchallenged until significant damage is done.

    The most common types of scams targeting this group are impostor scams and identity theft. Fraudsters often pose as government agencies or financial institutions to gain trust and pressure victims into taking immediate action. Military families are encouraged to be skeptical of unsolicited communications demanding money and to verify all claims directly through official government channels.

    To confirm whether a tax debt is legitimate, individuals can check directly with the IRS by using the official IRS website or by calling the phone number listed on IRS.gov. The agency does not demand immediate payment using methods such as gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency, and it typically initiates contact through prior notices before escalating collection efforts.

    It may also be helpful for families to be aware of protections available under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. This law provides financial and legal safeguards to active-duty service members, including protections against certain debt collection actions. Understanding these rights can be an important step in identifying and resisting fraudulent threats.

    As scams continue to evolve, staying informed remains a critical line of defense. Families should consider placing fraud alerts on financial accounts and monitoring credit activity, especially during periods of deployment. Prompt reporting of suspicious activity to the proper authorities can also help prevent further harm and assist in identifying patterns that lead to enforcement action.

     
  • Geebo 8:00 am on August 25, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , military family, ,   

    Military families are often targets of scammers 

    Military families are often targets of scammers

    By Greg Collier

    When we think of scamming victims, we often think of the elderly without a lot of online knowledge or maybe young people with not a lot of real-world experience. Who we may not think of is the immediate family of military members, specifically their spouses. While our men and women of the armed forces are being deployed, it’s up to their spouses to keep everything running as smoothly as possible on the home front. This is made even more difficult if the family has any children. Because a military spouse may be spending a lot of time at home without their partner, it could leave them vulnerable to various scammers.

    For example, the wife of a deployed soldier in Alaska recently found herself the victim of a work at home scam. She was looking to earn extra income for the family and looked online for a position that would allow her to stay home with her children. She found a position in a local Facebook group that ticked all the right boxes. It was an online work from home job that started at $15/hr where you could set your own hours and work would be available for 45 hours a week. After training, the salary would be increased to $20/hr.

    The victim was then sent a check, so she could order supplies. She was given a list of supplies to order and where to order them from. She was told to deposit the check in her own account and when she voiced her concerns about that she was told that this was standard practice.

    The check turned out to be fraudulent after she had spent the money. The family’s bank account was then locked, and now the family finds themselves in $15,000 debt to the bank.

    Please keep in mind that no legitimate employer will ever ask you to deposit company funds into your own bank account. Real employers have accounting and purchasing departments to handle such transactions. If an online employer asks you to deposit a check for business purposes, it’s almost guaranteed that the check is fake.

    This is only one of many scams that military families are vulnerable to. A good rule of thumb not just for military families but for all of us is not to send or receive money from anyone you don’t know.

     
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