CLEARWATER — July is Military Consumer Protection Month, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is committed to raising awareness about scams that disproportionately affect active-duty service members, veterans, and their families.

In 2024, military consumers reported a 50% higher median financial loss to scams than all consumers, according to BBB’s Marketplace challenges facing the military community. Alarmingly, active-duty service members are more likely to fall victim to scams and lose more money than veterans or military spouses—often due to frequent relocations, deployment demands, and unique financial situations.

Top 5 Riskiest Scams Targeting Military Consumers:

• Online purchase scams,
• Employment Scams,
• Investment & cryptocurrency scams,

BBB Tips to protect military consumers:

• Be skeptical of deals that sound too good to be true. Deep discounts, perfect job offers, or urgent investment opportunities can be red flags. Always take time to verify the legitimacy of the offer.

• Do your research. Before making a purchase or accepting a job offer, search for the company on BBB.org to check for licensing, accreditation, and customer reviews.

• Avoid unsolicited links and attachments. Scammers often impersonate trusted organizations or use fake logos, emails, or Caller IDs to make themselves seem legitimate to use links or downloads to install malware and steal personal information. When in doubt, don’t click.

• Use secure, traceable payment methods. Avoid paying with gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. Credit cards offer more protection and recourse if something goes wrong.

• Verify website authenticity. Look for secure URLs (HTTPS), correct domains, and readable reviews – especially given that 87% of victims of online purchase scams lost money.

• Online “friends” offering to introduce you to cryptocurrency. Be wary of “friends” who reach out to you on social media and tell you they made money with cryptocurrency. Never share your Social Security/SIN or driver’s license with these unsolicited contacts.

• Watch for employment scams involving overpayment. Fake checks with inflated amounts, a hallmark of many scams, often prompt victims to refund the difference before realizing the check is fraudulent.

• Demand a contract and recent references for home improvement contractors. Ask for recent client references, review their BBB business profile and insist on detailed written agreements showing company details and licensing information.

For more tools, resources, and military-specific scam prevention advice, visit: bbb.org/military