Trick or trust? Spot cyber fraud fast
VA News ·
This time of year is full of tricks and treats. The hard part is knowing who’s really at your door. Know the signs of potential cyber fraud.
Imagine Mary, a Veteran, getting a text that looks like it’s from VA. It warns of an issue with her benefits. The message tells her to click a link, verify her personal information and enter a code to “avoid delays” in her payment.
There’s just one problem: The link leads to a fake website intended to steal her login details, other sensitive information and her benefits.
Before Mary acts, she pauses. She checks to see if the message is real by contacting the VA office associated with the topic of the communication she received (in Mary’s case: VA benefits hotline).
This story depicts a real-life fraud attempt dressed up as urgency. Unfortunately, it happens often to real Veterans.
Cyber fraud is a growing risk. It can hurt Veterans, their families and their caregivers. It leads to stolen data and benefits that Veterans have honorably earned. Fraudsters often want your personal information, or access to the systems that hold your benefits, so they can use them for personal gain.
Cyber fraud includes phishing emails, fake websites, stolen passwords, and deepfake audio or video calls or recordings. A scammer may pretend to be a VA official, a manager, a doctor or nurse, a bank representative, another Veteran, or a friend or family member.
To learn more about protecting your data, review VA’s informational articles on cybersecurity tools and resources . You can also learn how to protect your benefits from fraud .
The goal is simple: Spot fraud early and stop it quickly. Think first. Pause. Verify. Report. Learn from every incident. Stay informed on the latest tactics scammers use and how to identify and avoid them.
Turn the tables on fraudsters with your own bag of tricks.