Beware of these Memorial Day scams

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Georgia has nearly 60,000 active-duty service members and almost 700,000 veterans. While Memorial Day is meant to honor those who died while serving, scammers see it as an opportunity.

“In 2022, active-duty military reported losing significantly more money ($491) than military spouses ($249) or veterans ($200),” according to the 2024 BBB Risk Report. “While the percentages of military spouses (41.4%) and veterans (36.2%) who reported losing money when exposed to a scam were nearly identical to the percentage of the general population (40.9%) ... the susceptibility of the active-duty military (52.8%) was about 29.1% higher than the overall population’s susceptibility.

“Active-duty military incurred a median loss of $491, an increase of 201% compared to the general population, who lost $163,” the report said.

The report warns military members about high-interest loans, veterans benefit buyout programs, fake rental property scams, misleading car sales, and expensive life insurance policies.

In addition, the BBB says scammers use Memorial Day to call potential victims, posing as military or veteran charities, and use high-pressure sales tactics to solicit donations.

“Legit charities are not going to use high-pressure tactics, but a lot of the non-legit charities do,” said Taelore Hicks, a spokesperson for Metro Atlanta’s BBB. “So, if they are calling you trying to use those high-pressure tactics, and they are demanding your money right now, you can walk away from it.

Hicks also said the callers should be asked for their mission statement. “Ask them where your money is going once you donate to them,” she said.

Charity Navigator is another resource where users can review ratings and a charity’s financials and compare administrative and advertising costs to the percentage applied to actual programs.

Here is the BBB’s latest risk report.

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