{"id":488,"date":"2026-08-04T04:44:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T04:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=488"},"modified":"2026-08-04T04:44:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T04:44:18","slug":"how-you-can-help-to-stop-elder-fraud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=488","title":{"rendered":"How you can help to stop elder fraud"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-6 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:64px;--awb-padding-top-medium:32px;--awb-padding-top-small:18px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap\">\n<div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1456px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 )\">\n<article class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-7 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:1rem;--awb-padding-right:1rem;--awb-padding-bottom:1rem;--awb-padding-left:1rem;--awb-padding-right-medium:4%;--awb-padding-left-medium:4%;--awb-padding-right-small:4%;--awb-padding-left-small:4%;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:56%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:3.4285714285714%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:3.4285714285714%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:1;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:1;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%\">\n<div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\">\n<div class=\"fusion-content-tb fusion-content-tb-1 prose\" style=\"--awb-font-size:1.125rem;--awb-line-height:1.5;--awb-text-font-family:var(--awb-typography4-font-family);--awb-text-font-weight:var(--awb-typography4-font-weight);--awb-text-font-style:var(--awb-typography4-font-style)\">\n<p>VA is committed to educating elderly Veterans and their loved ones about how to protect themselves against elder <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/?s=fraud\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/?s=fraud\">fraud<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Fraudsters use various tactics, including aggressive calls, texts, emails, websites, social media messages and deceptive letters to pressure their targets, especially senior citizens, into sharing personal information, such as Social Security Numbers, bank account details, login credentials, medical records or credit card information.<\/p>\n<p>Knowledge is power! Here are key guidelines Veterans can follow to protect themselves and their loved ones from fraud.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Know how VA communicates: VA will not threaten beneficiaries with suspending their benefits, to jail or with lawsuits. For benefits changes or related matters, VA will send official communication by mail. If in doubt, call VA directly at: 1-800-827-1000.<\/li>\n<li>Never share banking information: Don\u2019t share banking details with online acquaintances or unfamiliar individuals. Don\u2019t directly deposit your VA benefits into anyone else\u2019s bank account.<\/li>\n<li>Confirm the identity of any request: Always verify the identity of anyone requesting personal information, especially sensitive data related to VA benefits or bank accounts. If the behavior feels uncharacteristic for a known contact, contact them directly to confirm it\u2019s not an impersonator.<\/li>\n<li>Use trusted payment methods: Requests for payment via cryptocurrency, wire transfers, prepaid debit cards, phone applications or gift cards signal a scam. Legitimate organizations do not request payment via these methods.<\/li>\n<li>Urgency and pressure: Scammers often create a sense of urgency and push victims to make quick decisions.<\/li>\n<li>Verify directly: If you\u2019re unsure whether a call or threat is legitimate, find the official phone number for the agency or company yourself and call them directly to verify. Do not use any phone number given to you by the caller.<\/li>\n<li>Be wary of social media requests: Be cautious when responding to friend requests or messages from unknown individuals online. Regularly review your friends and followers and remove any connections you don\u2019t trust. Be careful if you receive a new friend request from someone you already know. Sometimes, scammers create fake profiles using your friends\u2019 names and photos to trick you.<\/li>\n<li>Use strong passwords: Change your passwords frequently, keep them in a secure location, and make sure they aren\u2019t easy to guess. Never use personally identifiable information\u2014like birth dates\u2014in your passwords. Think of your password like the key to your front door; you wouldn\u2019t want a key that\u2019s easy for a stranger to copy. A strong password works the same way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of fraud, help is available. Contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD (37283) or via the <a href=\"https:\/\/ovc.ojp.gov\/program\/stop-elder-fraud\/providing-help-restoring-hope\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/ovc.ojp.gov\/program\/stop-elder-fraud\/providing-help-restoring-hope\" rel=\"noopener\">Fraud Hotline online<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If a Veteran misses an expected VA benefits payment,\u00a0identifies\u00a0a discrepancy in payments, or finds suspicious activity with their direct deposit account, contact VA\u00a0immediately\u00a0at 1-800-827-1000.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Veterans or survivors who suspect they have experienced fraud should seek additional information and report the incident to the appropriate agency online at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vsafe.gov\" rel=\"noopener\">VSAFE<\/a> or by calling 833-38V-SAFE (87233).\u202f\u202fLet\u2019s stand together to protect the nation\u2019s Veterans and their well-deserved benefits.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;width:100%\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;width:100%\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-builder-row-inner fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"--awb-flex-grow:0;--awb-flex-grow-medium:0;--awb-flex-grow-small:0;--awb-flex-shrink:0;--awb-flex-shrink-medium:0;--awb-flex-shrink-small:0;width:104% !important;max-width:104% !important;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 )\">\n<div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column_inner fusion-builder-nested-column-4 fusion_builder_column_inner_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:64px;--awb-padding-bottom:32px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%\">\n<div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-center fusion-content-layout-column\">\n<div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-3 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-center fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-two\" style=\"--awb-margin-bottom:.5rem;--awb-margin-top-small:0px;--awb-margin-right-small:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-small:20px;--awb-margin-left-small:0px;--awb-font-size:1.3rem\">\n<h2 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-center\" style=\"font-family:var(--awb-custom_typography_1-font-family);font-weight:var(--awb-custom_typography_1-font-weight);font-style:var(--awb-custom_typography_1-font-style);margin:0;font-size:1em\">Topics in this story<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-4 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-center fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-paragraph post-tags\" style=\"--awb-margin-top-small:0px;--awb-margin-right-small:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-small:20px;--awb-margin-left-small:0px;--awb-font-size:1rem\">\n<p class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-center title-heading-tag\" style=\"font-family:var(--awb-custom_typography_11-font-family);font-weight:var(--awb-custom_typography_11-font-weight);font-style:var(--awb-custom_typography_11-font-style);margin:0;font-size:1em\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/tag\/fraud\/\" title=\"Fraud\">Fraud<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/tag\/scams\/\" title=\"Scams\">Scams<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/147646\/how-you-can-stop-elder-fraud\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Benefits \u2013 VA News<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/147646\/how-you-can-stop-elder-fraud\/\">Benefits \u2013 VA News<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The best way to protect against elder fraud is to learn about scammers&#8217; aggressive calls, texts, emails, websites, social media messages and deceptive letters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":262,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-benefits"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=488"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":737,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488\/revisions\/737"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}