 TITLE: Don’t Get Fooled By Scammers This April CONTENT: 5\\. Veteran Scams\n-----------------\nThese scams target elderly American veterans, and are focused on tricking them out of their pensions or savings. According to AARP, 16% of veterans have been a victim of identity theft, as opposed to 8% of the general public. Fraudsters will entice veterans with pension advances or buyouts and will sometimes try to persuade them to donate to charity, only to then take their victims' identities and money and run. If you're a veteran, be cautious of anyone asking you for money over the phone, in the mail or through email. And make sure to verify the identity of any person or company offering to help you cash out your hard-earned pension. You can check to see whether an individual or organization is accredited by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs by doing an accreditation search, and you can find out more information about pension scams and how to spot them on the VA's site.\nIf you think some of your personal information has been compromised, or you want to find out if any fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name, get a free copy of your credit reports and scores to find out what appears in your credit file. Even if no new accounts have been opened in your name, you can also consider running a [free dark web scan](;k_id=_k_CjwKCAjw7MzkBRAGEiwAkOXexFneAl3o86MmvV6R4ql1zYFlwACAtY7aZAKUNCiRZHEl0ePzKSY7nhoCvGwQAvD_BwE_k_&k_kw=aud-494441948877:kwd-353437349978&k_mt=e&pc=sem_exp_google&cc=sem_exp_google_ad_858684474_46242041176_261557567959_aud-494441948877:kwd-353437349978_e_1t2__k_CjwKCAjw7MzkBRAGEiwAkOXexFneAl3o86MmvV6R4ql1zYFlwACAtY7aZAKUNCiRZHEl0ePzKSY7nhoCvGwQAvD_BwE_k_&ref=identity&awsearchcpc=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw7MzkBRAGEiwAkOXexFneAl3o86MmvV6R4ql1zYFlwACAtY7aZAKUNCiRZHEl0ePzKSY7nhoCvGwQAvD_BwE) to see if any of your personal information is floating around the dark web.\nAnother way to protect against any fraudulent accounts being opened in your name is to freeze your credit reports, which will prevent lenders from pulling a copy of your credit report. Experian also offers CreditLock, which allows you to lock and unlock your Experian credit report in real time.\nThe bottom line: Be vigilant with your personal information to ensure you're not a victim of fraud by scammers trying to trick you out of your hard-earned money. In April and always, don't be a fool when it comes to guarding your finances. END