Scammers are targeting veterans with fake discount stores on social media ahead of Veterans Day

Oct. 30, 2024 - PRLog -- With Veterans Day approaching, fraudulent stores promising exclusive discounts for veterans have been reported across social media, with many posting on Facebook groups. These scams masquerade as local businesses or veteran-owned companies, offering special discounts for veterans, and they will often have many fake reviews from stolen accounts to make them seem legitimate.

According to FTC reports, military veterans lost $350M in 2023 to scams and fraud.

Cybersecurity expert Joe Robinson from QR Code Developer says: "We see an influx of attempts to create phishing scams on our platform in the lead up to any holiday but we use advanced blocking technology to keep users safe".

"These scams seek to steal money and personal information, and can also be used to commit financial fraud that can haunt veterans long after Veterans Day. It's critical to check the legitimacy of any offer before engaging. Many scams are easily identifiable once you know what to look for".

"Veterans are increasingly being targeted by scammers, with 536% increase in total dollars lost by veterans to scams in just five years. Our current estimates are around the $500M mark by the end of 2024"

- Joe Robinson, QR Code Developer (https://qrcodeveloper.com/)

Red flags to look out for:

• Too good to be true discounts on major brands
• Recently created store - go to the about section then Page transparency to see when the store was created
• Overly positive reviews all posted in a short space of time

For more information or to report suspected scams, veterans can contact their Local Veteran Affairs Office.