{"id":49426,"date":"2020-06-10T09:00:35","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T09:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/06\/10\/military-members-are-disproportionately-affected-by-cybercrime-heres-why-and-how-to-avoid-it\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:19:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:19:21","slug":"military-members-are-disproportionately-affected-by-cybercrime-heres-why-and-how-to-avoid-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2020\/06\/10\/military-members-are-disproportionately-affected-by-cybercrime-heres-why-and-how-to-avoid-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Military members are disproportionately affected by cybercrime: Here\u2019s why and how to avoid it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those who serve the nation are finding themselves at a much greater risk of being the victims of cybercrime and identity theft, according to a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/blogs\/data-spotlight\/2020\/05\/identity-theft-causing-outsized-harm-our-troops?utm_source=govdelivery\" target=\"_blank\">study by the Federal Trade Commission<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Active duty service members are 76 percent more likely to report that an identity thief misused one of their accounts, such as a bank account or credit card, according to the FTC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report, released in May, also found that active duty service members are nearly three times as likely to report that someone used a debit card or some other electronic means to take money directly from their bank account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This finding, according to the report, suggests that service members \u201care experiencing highly disproportionate instances of theft from their financial accounts compared to the general population.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They are also 22 percent more likely to report that their stolen information was misused to open a new account, especially new credit card accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keeping a close eye on credit reports, which can help someone spot early warning signs, \u201ccan be difficult for active duty troops,\u201d according to the FTC. \u201cThey report that creditors often send notices to old addresses, which may delay their ability to act on warning signs, such as bills from unknown creditors or unexpected credit card charges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FTC said 20 percent of active duty service member reports indicate that they have already experienced two or more types of identity theft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kristin Judge, the CEO and founder of the <a href=\"https:\/\/cybercrimesupport.org\/\" target=_blank>Cybercrime Support Network<\/a> (CSN) \u2014 a nonprofit working to fight cybercrime \u2014 said there are several reasons service members are susceptible to these crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One reason, she said, is that troops are used to getting information from federal agencies that they have to click on and cybercriminals can take advantage of that by disguising themselves as entities of the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, frequent moving provides an opportunity for housing and rental scams, and if someone is on active duty, they may not be reachable. In this case, if a spouse or someone else at home notices fraudulent activity, they may not be able to discuss it, delaying the response time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rachel Dooley, the Chief Marketing Officer of CSN and a military spouse, added that the reliance on the internet by frequently mobile individuals and families creates a breeding ground for people to click and accidentally overshare information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen you move a lot or you\u2019re isolated and relying solely on the internet to learn about new schools, doctors, sporting events, housing, cars, or loans, you\u2019re pulled into that world and cybercriminals know it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dooley warned that cybercriminals can take advantage of those who are distracted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All of these factors contribute to servicemembers\u2019 susceptibility to cybercrimes and the criminals have gotten exceptionally crafty. Their main tool, according to Judge, is \u201csocial engineering\u201d \u2014 convincing targets that they are dealing with a legitimate entity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo do social engineering well,\u201d she said, \u201cyou just have to spend some time on the internet and gather facts about someone that could make it more personalized, so that what you send them sounds real.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A thief could find enough information to send a message that includes names of family members, someone\u2019s rank, when and where they served, and more \u2014 and then use that to claim they are acquaintances and ask for money or more personal details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou could put that together pretty quickly if you just do a search on someone online, because we put so much information about ourselves out there,\u201d Judge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, cybercriminals will target locations around military posts and bases, according to Dooley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said \u201cthe information is out there, but then they also know geographically how to geotarget people and pretty much be able to come up with someone of that demographic,\u201d meaning that there can be predatory rentals for houses and cars targeting service members at bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recovering from cybercrimes can be a large challenge and take months to years to resolve, but steps can be taken to avoid being victimized by a scam. CSN has identified <a href=\"https:\/\/scamspotter.org\/\" target=_blank>\u201cthree golden rules\u201d<\/a> to keep in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first is to \u201cslow it down\u201d \u2014 take your time and ask questions to avoid being rushed into a scam. After that comes doing your research and confirming that whoever is contacting you is actually who they are. Lastly, never pay someone on the spot \u2013 if something does not seem quite right, it probably is not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf we can get the three golden rules out to the military community and before they clicked on something, sent money, or followed through, if they went through these three golden rules, then we may be able to stop them from being impacted by a scam,\u201d Dooley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FTC recommends <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militaryconsumer.gov\/\">MilitaryConsumer.gov<\/a> as a resource for servicemembers, veterans, and their families to avoid scams and manage money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are a few things you can do now to protect yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*Check your bank account regularly. Report a lost or stolen debit card or unauthorized transactions immediately. Your bank may have a service to alert you to every transaction or transactions over a certain amount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*To prevent someone from misusing your debit or credit cards, many banks will let you temporarily lock or freeze your card online or through their mobile app. You can quickly and easily unlock the card at any time the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*Don\u2019t give out authentication information \u2013 including PIN numbers or verification codes \u2013 to anyone who calls, emails, or texts you. If you didn\u2019t initiate the contact, you can bet it\u2019s a scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*Sign up for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumer.ftc.gov\/blog\/2019\/10\/free-electronic-credit-monitoring-coming-soon-military\">free credit monitoring<\/a>, available to active duty servicemembers, to get notifications of activity on your credit reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*Put an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumer.ftc.gov\/articles\/0273-active-duty-alerts\">active duty alert<\/a> on your credit reports if you\u2019re deploying. Alerts last a year (you can renew) and require creditors to take steps to verify your identity before granting credit in your name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*Even if you\u2019re not deploying, consider placing a fraud alert if you suspect identity theft. Consider a credit freeze if you want a bit more protection and if it fits your situation.now your rights under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Talk with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militaryconsumer.gov\/spend\/getting-started\/personal-financial-managers-pfms-other-financial-counselors-and-legal-help\">Personal Financial Manager or your military legal assistance office<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*Go to IdentityTheft.gov to report and get a plan to recover from identity theft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More resources and preventative measures for military personnel and families can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/fraudsupport.org\/incidents\/military-personnel-and-families\/\" target=_blank>here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cybercriminals are targeting America&#8217;s military personnel and families, but steps can be made to avoid becoming a victim.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":47108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":15,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,23,89,26,15],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3260],"class_list":["post-49426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-newsletters","category-pay-benefits"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"YRRDKG3VHRERZIMYFO52DASKOI","arc_canonical_url":"\/2020\/06\/10\/military-members-are-disproportionately-affected-by-cybercrime-heres-why-and-how-to-avoid-it\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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