Why scammers target veterans and how to fight back

This Memorial Day, while the rest of the country pauses to honor the fallen, scammers are doing something else entirely. They're running searches.

They're pulling military records. Cross-referencing VA enrollment data. Mapping disability ratings. And building detailed profiles on the men and women who served this country, then using that information to steal from them.

It's not a side hustle. It's an industry. And veterans, because of the very nature of their service, are uniquely exposed to it. Here's exactly what's happening and what you can do to stop it.

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META MEDICARE SCAM ADS TARGETING SENIORS FACE SCRUTINY

Most people don't realize how much information military service generates and how much of it is semi-public.

When you serve, your records include:

Much of this sits in federal databases, discharge paperwork, and public-facing records that data brokers have learned to scrape, package, and resell. The result: before a scammer ever picks up the phone, they already know more about a veteran than most of the veteran's neighbors do.

If you've served in the U.S. military, you have a DD-214. It's your Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, and it contains nearly everything a fraudster could want.

Full name. Social Security number (on older forms). Dates of service. Character of discharge. Job specialty codes. Awards and decorations. Last duty station.

The DD-214 is required for veterans' benefits, employment, and housing applications. That means millions of veterans have submitted it to dozens of agencies, employers, and financial institutions over the years.

It also means copies of it can be sitting in more databases than most veterans ever imagined. Data brokers don't need to hack anything. They pull from public records requests, digitized government filings, and third-party aggregators. Once your DD-214 data is in the broker ecosystem, it gets bought, sold, and refreshed, appearing on people-search sites you've never heard of. And scammers buy it for a few dollars.

The numbers are devastating. According to the Federal Trade Commission's 2024 Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book, military consumers, including veterans, service members and their families, reported $584 million in fraud losses in 2024. That is up nearly 25% from the year before. Veterans and retirees reported the largest share of those losses, at $419 million. The median fraud loss for veterans was $700, which was higher than the $497 median across all FTC complaints.

AARP's 2025 research adds another troubling layer. It found that 27% of veterans, or more than 5 million people, have lost money to fraud. It also found that 39% of veterans have received solicitations from someone claiming to be from the VA or another government agency, and 28% believe their veteran status made them a target.

The VA has also warned that scammers are increasingly targeting veterans because of their government benefits and personal information. These scams often include government impostors, direct deposit fraud, phishing, identity theft, payment redirection and social media scams.

The takeaway is clear: this problem is getting worse, not better. Veterans are not being targeted randomly. Scammers know many have benefits, official records and a long-standing trust relationship with the VA. That makes a fake VA call or benefits message feel more believable, especially when the scammer already has pieces of personal information.

Here's what the process actually looks like from a scammer's perspective.

It starts exactly where it starts with any target. They type your name into Spokeo, BeenVerified, Whitepages, or any of dozens of similar sites.

Within seconds, they see your age, home address, phone numbers, and the names of your relatives. For veterans, some profiles also surface military affiliation pulled from public records, LinkedIn, local news coverage of VA events, or obituaries.

That confirms you're the right person. That's the seed. 

VA benefit enrollment information isn't entirely private. Mailing addresses tied to VA correspondence, enrollment in VA healthcare, and participation in VA community programs generate public footprints.

Data brokers specifically package "military consumer" and "veterans" audience segments and sell them to marketers and, as federal prosecutors have proven, sometimes directly to fraudsters.

A scammer who buys one of these lists knows they're calling a veteran. They know roughly what branch. In some cases, they know the disability rating category.

Data broker profiles don't stop at you. They include your spouse, your adult children, and your elderly parents.

For veterans, this matters enormously. Many older veterans live alone. Their spouses may be named beneficiaries on pension and survivor benefit plans. A scammer mapping your profile is also identifying your most vulnerable family members and their contact information.

This is where veteran scams get more personal. Scammers often build their pitch around military benefits.

A veteran with VA disability enrollment may get a fake "benefits upgrade" call. An older veteran with pension income may be targeted by a pension-poaching scheme. A recently discharged veteran may get targeted with a fake GI Bill or education offer.

That is what makes these scams so dangerous. The caller may already know enough to sound official. They do not guess. They target.

Here are the scams hitting veterans hardest right now, and the red flags that should make you pause before sharing personal or financial information.

This is one of the most common scams targeting veterans.

A caller claims to be from the Department of Veterans Affairs. They may say your benefits are being reviewed, upgraded or suspended. Then they ask you to "verify" your information.

They may ask for your Social Security number, bank account details or date of birth. In many cases, they already have some of that information. They just need you to confirm the rest.

The VA does not call veterans out of the blue to ask for personal information. If you receive this kind of call, hang up. Then call the VA directly.

The DOJ charged a nationwide fraud ring that used VA impersonation calls to steal more than $7.6 million from veterans across 20 states. Prosecutors said the ring used purchased data lists to find targets. They also used scripts designed to sound like official government outreach.

TURNING 65? MONTH-BY-MONTH PLAN TO PROTECT YOURSELF

This one is slower and more sophisticated, plus it costs veterans far more.

A "financial advisor" or "veterans benefits consultant" contacts you (often through mail or a community event) and offers to help you maximize your VA pension or Aid and Attendance benefits. They charge upfront fees, sometimes $5,000 to $20,000, for "restructuring" your assets to qualify for benefits you may already be entitled to for free.

In many cases, the restructuring involves transferring assets in ways that trigger Medicaid penalties or leave veterans financially stranded.

The VA explicitly prohibits charging fees to help veterans file claims. Anyone who charges you for this service is, at a minimum, violating federal law and often committing outright fraud.

Veterans leaving the military can become prime targets for fraudulent schools. These schools may promise fast training, job placement or help using GI Bill benefits.

A May 2025 report from Veterans Education Success showed how serious the problem can get. In Texas, the Retail Ready Career Center defrauded the VA of $72 million in GI Bill funds. Its CEO was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison.

In Georgia, House of Prayer Bible College ran a $22 million fraud scheme against the VA for 11 years. Investigators said the school kept operating even after internal reports raised serious concerns.

In both cases, VA oversight failures allowed the fraud to continue for years. The lesson is simple. Predatory schools actively target veterans, and the safety nets have real holes.

If someone offers to help you "maximize" your GI Bill benefits for a fee, walk away. Then contact the VA directly before sharing any personal information.

A caller tells you the VA has approved you for a new grant, a cost-of-living adjustment, or a benefit you haven't been receiving. To release the funds, they need your bank account information to "direct deposit" the payment.

There is no unclaimed VA grant that requires you to provide banking information to a caller. This is a bank account takeover scam dressed in patriotic language.

I know what you are thinking, "But I never signed up for any data broker sites." You didn't have to. Military records are public records. Property filings are public records. Court documents are public records. Your address on a VA mailing list can be pulled from localized government databases. Your social media profiles, even those you haven't updated in years, are constantly indexed and scraped.

And the VA, like most government agencies, shares data with contractor systems that have their own security vulnerabilities. Once your information enters the data broker ecosystem, it gets bought and sold dozens of times legally. It appears on people-search sites, marketing lists, and "military consumer" segments sold directly to telemarketers and, as we've seen in federal prosecutions, to fraudsters. The only way to fight this is to actively remove your information.

You cannot stop every scammer from trying, but you can make it much harder for them to use your personal information against you.

Go to Spokeo.com, BeenVerified.com, Whitepages.com or even Google and type your name. See exactly what a scammer sees before they call. Pay attention to whether your address, relatives' names, and phone numbers are listed. That's your starting point.

Every major data broker is legally required to honor removal requests. The problem is that there are hundreds of them. Each one has its own opt-out process, and many re-list your information over time.

You can remove your information manually by visiting each data broker's opt-out page. Start with the big people-search sites, then check again every few months to see whether your name, address, phone number or relatives have reappeared.

You can also use a reputable data removal service to handle the process for you. These services send removal requests to data brokers on your behalf and keep monitoring for reappearing listings.

That ongoing protection matters for families, too. The scam that starts with a search of your name can quickly turn into a call to an elderly parent or a text to an adult child. Protecting yourself helps, but protecting your household gives scammers fewer ways in.

You can also run a free exposure scan online to see where your personal information appears. Results often show whether your address, phone number, relatives or other details are already circulating on people-search sites.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com

The VA does not call you out of the blue to confirm your information, upgrade your benefits, or release a grant. If you get this call, hang up and call the VA directly at 1-800-827-1000.

 If your bank still uses "mother's maiden name," "city of birth," or "branch of military service" as verification questions, those answers are probably on a data broker site right now. Switch to nonsense answers only you'd know and store them in a password manager.

Tell your family members that if anyone claims to be you in an emergency, you have a word that proves it. Scammers use panic to bypass critical thinking. A simple code word breaks that spell.

Report VA impersonation to the VA OIG at 1-800-488-8244. Report pension scams and fake benefits calls to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Your report helps investigators build cases against active fraud rings.

YOUR 401(K) IS THE NEW IDENTITY THEFT TARGET

The people who served this country deserve better than to spend their retirement watching out for criminals. Military discharge records, VA enrollment details and disability information can expose veterans in ways many families never realize. Scammers use that data to sound believable. They impersonate the VA, push fake benefit upgrades and run pension-poaching schemes that can drain savings fast. The VA will not call out of the blue to ask for personal information or banking details. If a call feels urgent, threatening or too good to be true, hang up. Then contact the VA directly. Removing your information from data broker sites can help reduce your exposure. However, it needs ongoing attention because personal details often reappear. That protection can matter even more for elderly relatives, spouses and family members who scammers may contact next. You served. You held up your end. Make sure the data economy does not turn that service into an opening for fraud. Search your name today. See what is out there. Then take steps to remove it. This Memorial Day, one of the best ways to honor veterans is to help make it harder for scammers to target them.

Should the VA, data brokers and lawmakers be doing more to keep veterans from becoming easy targets for scammers? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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LaGuardia Airport AI hologram answers traveler questions

Airports can feel like a maze when you are rushing to a gate, hunting for baggage claim or trying to find a lounge before boarding. Now, LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B wants to make that all feel a little less stressful with a life-sized AI hologram named Bridget.

Bridget can hold a real conversation with you. She can answer questions about gates, shops, baggage claim and VIP lounges. She can also give you step-by-step directions using real-time terminal maps.

That could be a welcome change if you have ever wandered through an airport looking for what you need. The bigger question is whether you would actually want help from a hologram when a real person may be just a few steps away.

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AI LAYOFFS MAY BE BACKFIRING ON COMPANIES

Bridget is a hyper-realistic AI hologram now located near the Terminal B Food Hall at LaGuardia Airport in New York. The technology comes from a collaboration between Proto, the hologram hardware company, and Holomedia's AI Concierge Wayfinder platform.

Together, the system lets travelers ask natural questions instead of searching through signs or tapping through an app.

Right now, Bridget speaks English and Spanish. More languages are expected later. The kiosk also includes on-screen subtitles, high-contrast displays and a physical interface positioned for wheelchair accessibility. LaGuardia Gateway Partners, which manages Terminal B, says more units are planned across both concourses.

LaGuardia Gateway Partners frames Bridget as extra help for travelers rather than a replacement for human workers. The idea is to support the guest experience team during busy periods, especially when staff members are already helping other passengers.

"At Terminal B, our North Star has always been to provide an exceptional guest experience through a unique blend of innovation and world-class hospitality," said Suzette Noble, Chief Executive Officer of LaGuardia Gateway Partners. "The introduction of the interactive AI hologram aligns perfectly with this vision, allowing us to leverage next-generation technology to meet the evolving needs of our travelers. By providing an additional layer of intelligent, multilingual support, we are ensuring that every guest who passes through our terminal enjoys a seamless and stress-free journey."

So, in other words, you can just walk up, ask where to go and get directions without digging through your phone.

Bridget can answer common airport questions that usually send travelers searching for a sign, app or employee. Travelers can ask for directions to gates, shops, lounges and baggage claim. The system can also provide live mapping and step-by-step guidance around the terminal. 

In a company-provided video, Bridget guides a traveler to Gate 19 with turn-by-turn directions and then offers a QR code so the traveler can take the directions with them.

That could help during peak travel days, when lines get longer and airport workers have less time to answer the same questions over and over.

David Nussbaum, founder of Proto Hologram, says the technology extends human support rather than replacing it.

"Communication with humans will always be the best way to help travelers find their way, and for the first time in any airport, AI-powered interactive hologram avatars extend the reach of the human guest experience ambassadors," said Nussbaum. "Proto Hologram and Holomedia's digital helpers can guide and advise travelers in ways that feel natural and intuitive."

META AI LAUNCHES PRIVATE INCOGNITO CHAT

LaGuardia isn’t the only airport experimenting with AI holograms. Miami International Airport announced its own AI-powered holographic assistants about three weeks earlier. Miami's system includes four conversational AI holograms developed with Hypervsn, Satisfi Labs and Mappedin.

Miami's setup has been described as supporting 40 languages. It also connects with the airport's website chatbot and WhatsApp assistant. That means you could start a question before you arrive and continue getting help once you are at the airport. Miami's approach shows how other airports are also testing AI tools to help passengers move through terminals with less confusion.

That depends on how airports use them. A well-placed hologram that answers simple questions could make travel smoother. A confusing AI kiosk that gives vague answers could become one more thing travelers ignore. The best version of this technology helps people quickly and then gets out of the way. It should support airport staff, not replace the human help travelers still need when flights change, bags go missing, or plans fall apart.

Glenn E. Smith, Spatial Computing XP Architect at Holomedia, says airports are looking for technology that improves operations while creating more personalized journeys.

"As passenger expectations evolve, airports are increasingly seeking technologies that not only improve operational efficiency, but also create memorable, frictionless, and personalized journeys," said Smith.

That is a pretty big promise. However, travelers will judge it by a much simpler standard: Did it answer my question and help me get where I needed to go?

For travelers, this could be helpful if the technology works well. Anyone who has walked the wrong way through an airport knows how stressful that can feel. A conversational kiosk could make it easier to find a gate, locate baggage claim or get to a lounge without hunting through signs. It may also help travelers who prefer spoken directions or need accessibility features like captions and a lower physical interface.

Still, AI airport assistants need to earn trust. Travelers will want clear answers, accurate directions and easy access to a real person when the technology gets confused. 

There is also the privacy question. Bridget appears focused on wayfinding and guest service. But airports are also testing AI tools that connect with biometrics, mobile apps and passenger data. That broader shift deserves close attention.

Your phone holds your email, passwords, photos, banking apps and personal data. In this free, live online class, Kurt the CyberGuy will walk you step by step through simple phone security fixes you can do in real time. You’ll learn how to improve your privacy settings, spot the latest phone scams, use trusted security tools and walk away with a simple checklist to stay protected. Register here: CyberGuyLive.com 

AI DATA CENTERS MAY SOON RIDE OCEAN WAVES

Bridget gives LaGuardia's Terminal B a new way to help you find your way through a busy airport. If it works well, it could answer the simple questions that often create the most stress, like where to find your gate, your bags or the nearest lounge. Still, this story is bigger than one hologram in New York. Miami and other airports are also testing AI tools that could change how you get help before and during a trip. Some tools may look like friendly digital people. Others may live inside apps, websites or airport systems you never see. The real test is whether this technology makes travel feel easier. Because when you are late for a flight or trying to find your bag, you probably care less about how impressive it looks and more about whether it actually helps.

Would you rather get airport help from a human worker, a life-sized AI hologram or a smart system running quietly in the background? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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Humanoid robots work nonstop in package test

Figure AI says three of its humanoid robots crossed more than 24 hours of continuous autonomous operation after a test that was supposed to last only eight hours kept running.

The California-based robotics startup says its Helix-02 artificial intelligence-powered robots sorted small packages around the clock without human control. The robots became part of a livestream that viewers followed closely. They even picked up names along the way: Bob, Frank and Gary.

Once people started calling them that online, Figure AI added visible name tags.

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AUTONOMOUS ROBOT WITH MUSCLES, SMARTS AND ZERO SICK DAYS

The task sounds simple. Pick up a small package. Find the barcode. Place the package on a conveyor belt with the barcode facing down. Then do it again. Warehouse work often depends on steady movement, quick decisions and the ability to keep going when small problems pop up. Figure AI says the robots sorted more than 28,000 packages during the operation. The company also says they worked at speeds close to human workers. According to CEO Brett Adcock, the original goal was an eight-hour run. After the robots made it through without a reported failure, the company kept the test going.

Figure AI says the robots ran on Helix-02, its in-house AI system. The company describes it as a neural network that combines vision, touch sensing, body awareness and movement control. Humanoid robots need to do more than move an arm. They have to balance, grip packages, adjust their posture and respond when an object lands in an awkward spot. The company says the robots used onboard cameras and AI reasoning to detect barcodes and sort packages. Figure AI also stressed that people were not remotely steering the robots. Adcock said every action came directly from Helix-02.

WAREHOUSE ROBOT USES AI TO PLAY REAL-LIFE TETRIS TO HANDLE MORE THAN EVER BEFORE

The livestream gave people a front-row seat to something they do not usually see: humanoid robots grinding through a warehouse task in real time. Viewers watched the robots keep sorting packages as the test moved far beyond the original eight-hour goal. Then came the nicknames. Bob, Frank and Gary started to sound less like machines and more like the guys working the late shift. Figure AI leaned into it by adding visible name tags after viewers started using the names online. That small human touch made the demo easier to follow. It also made the bigger question harder to ignore: If robots can keep working through long shifts, what happens to the people who do this work today?

One of Figure AI's biggest claims involves recovery. The company says Helix-02 can trigger an automatic reset when a robot gets stuck or faces a situation outside its expected behavior. That may sound like a small detail, but it could become a huge factor in real workplaces. A robot that needs help every few minutes quickly becomes a burden. A robot that can pause, reset and resume work starts to look much more useful. Figure AI also says a robot can leave the work floor for maintenance if a software or hardware issue appears. Another robot can then take over, so the operation keeps moving.

Figure AI has plenty of competition. Tesla, Agility Robotics and Apptronik are also working on humanoid robots for warehouses, factories and logistics operations. Figure AI has already tested its robots at BMW manufacturing facilities in South Carolina. That gives a clue about where this technology may show up first. These robots will likely appear in controlled industrial spaces before they become part of everyday home life.

Package sorting gives people a clear way to understand the technology. If a robot can handle a repetitive job for long stretches, companies will start asking where else robots can help.

The next challenge will be proving this works beyond one livestreamed task. A package-sorting run can show endurance, but businesses will want more proof. They will want to know how often the robots fail, how much maintenance they need and whether they can handle messy conditions without slowing down the whole operation. They will also want independent evidence, not only company claims, from a public demo. Warehouse floors can get chaotic. Packages arrive in different shapes. Labels can appear in odd places. Belts can jam. People may walk through the area. A robot that handles one livestreamed task still has to prove it can handle the messier version of the job.

For you, this may feel far away from your daily life. Most people will not buy a humanoid robot anytime soon. Plenty of questions also remain about cost, safety, reliability and real-world performance. Still, the impact could show up in familiar places. Faster package handling could affect delivery times. Warehouses may change how they staff overnight shifts. Companies may also use robots to fill repetitive roles that are hard to staff or physically demanding. 

At the same time, this raises real concerns about jobs. A robot that can work for hours without a break sounds impressive in a demo. For workers, it may sound like another sign that automation keeps moving deeper into everyday labor. That does not mean every warehouse job vanishes. Real workplaces are messy. Packages vary. Equipment fails. People still solve problems that demos rarely show. However, Figure AI's test suggests humanoid robots are moving from short clips toward longer workplace trials.

Your phone holds your email, passwords, photos, banking apps and personal data. In this free, live online class, Kurt the CyberGuy will walk you step by step through simple phone security fixes you can do in real time. You’ll learn how to improve your privacy settings, spot the latest phone scams, use trusted security tools and walk away with a simple checklist to stay protected. Register here: CyberGuyLive.com

Figure AI's 24-hour package-sorting run shows where warehouse automation may be heading next. The robots still need to prove they can handle real-world conditions at a price companies can justify. Even so, the demo suggests humanoid robots are moving beyond flashy hype videos. What stands out here may be how ordinary the work looks. These robots are not doing backflips or waving to a crowd. They are picking up packages, reading barcodes and placing items on a conveyor belt over and over again. That kind of boring work can be exactly where automation starts to feel real. If companies can make these robots reliable, safe and affordable, the warehouse floor could look very different in the years ahead.

Would you feel comfortable knowing your next package was sorted by a humanoid robot, or does that make you wonder what job automation will target next? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.

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