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On Veterans Day, we celebrate our veterans — more than 18 million strong. We thank you for your service and sacrifice. It’s also a good time to arm yourself with some tips to avoid fraud. We know that scammers follow the headlines, and their schemes evolve to take advantage of the things catching our attention now. Knowing what to look for helps all of us steer clear of a con artist.

Thinking of volunteering for a COVID-19 clinical trial? There are thousands of trials underway as companies race to find effective vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. Many of these research studies are legitimate, but some are not. Fake ones may try to steal your money. Never pay to be part of a clinical trial, or to find out about one. Real clinical trials will never ask you to pay them.

Have you gotten robocalls saying you overpaid utility bills? The callers say you’ll get a cash refund and a discount on your future bills. Not so fast. Hang up. This is probably just another utility scam — or, at best, a marketing trick — to get your money. Utility companies don’t usually give cash refunds. Instead, they credit the extra money to your account.

Are you having trouble paying your student loan debt? You might get an offer that says you can reduce your monthly payment, or even reduce your overall debt. The offer might look like it comes from the government…and they might tell you that, first, you have to pay a fee. But it’s illegal for a company to ask you to pay a fee up front before they get you the promised relief. And it’s illegal for them to pretend to be from the government. Because of the pandemic, people with federal student loans have some protections.

Want to keep one step ahead of the scammers? MilitaryConsumer.gov has helpful information for any stage of life, whether you’re launching your civilian career, enjoying retirement, or still serving in the Armed Forces. Encourage the veterans in your life to sign up for email updates to stay connected. And if you spot a scam, let the FTC know at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Updated November 23, 2022 to reflect the extension of the student loan payment pause. Visit the U.S. Department of Education to learn more.

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

  • We won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
  • We won’t post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups.
  • We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
  • We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.

slhsc
November 09, 2020
My husband is a 100% disabled, U.S. Navy Diver, permanent/total, service-connected, Gulf War with a BRAIN INJURY! We have been receiving constant robocalls regarding his paying off his student loans. He has NEVER HAD A STUDENT LOAN! Nor have I. Attempts to get them to stop calling have failed.