Know the schemebefore it knows you.
Veterans and their benefits are a target. This page documents the recurring schemes pattern by pattern: how each one works, the red flags that give it away, and what to do instead. We describe patterns, never name private companies, and cite official sources for every entry.
The single best defense: verify before you sign
Most claim related schemes fall apart the moment you check accreditation. Anyone charging to help with a VA claim must be listed in VA's Office of General Counsel database. Check them in one minute with our representative verification tool.
The unaccredited claims consultant
Who it targets: Veterans preparing disability claims, especially first time filers and veterans seeking rating increases.
A company that is not accredited by VA offers to prepare or coach your disability claim for a large flat fee or a percentage of your back pay or future benefits, often five to ten thousand dollars or more. Some advertise a guaranteed rating. Federal law only allows VA accredited attorneys, claims agents, and VSO representatives to assist with claims, and fees are only permitted after an initial decision, under rules set by 38 CFR 14.636.
- Guarantees a specific rating or a 100 percent outcome
- Charges money before VA has issued an initial decision on your claim
- Takes a percentage of your future monthly benefits, not just past due amounts
- Is not listed in VA's Office of General Counsel accreditation search
- Tells you to avoid VSOs or says accredited representatives are slower or worse
- Asks for your VA.gov or ID.me login credentials
- Verify anyone offering claim help in the VA OGC accreditation database before signing anything
- Use an accredited VSO, which prepares and files claims at no charge
- If you want a paid representative for an appeal, use an accredited attorney or claims agent with a VA approved fee agreement
- Report unaccredited actors to VA OGC and to VSAFE
The law: 38 U.S.C. 5901 and 5904 restrict who may assist with claims for compensation; 38 CFR 14.636 controls when and how fees may be charged.
The fake VA phone call
Who it targets: Veterans and survivors receiving VA compensation, pension, or health care.
A caller claims to be from VA, often with a spoofed caller ID that shows a real VA number. They say your benefits are suspended, your file needs verification, or your direct deposit must be updated, then ask for your Social Security number, bank account, or a verification code sent to your phone. The goal is to redirect your monthly payment or take over your VA.gov account.
- Pressure to act immediately or lose your benefits
- Requests for your full Social Security number, bank details, or a texted security code
- Asks you to move your direct deposit or pay any fee by phone
- Caller refuses to let you hang up and call VA back on the official number
- Hang up and call VA directly at 800-827-1000 to check your account
- Never read a security code to anyone; VA staff will not ask for one
- Add a login verification method you control at VA.gov and review your direct deposit information
- Report the call to VSAFE and the VA OIG hotline
The lookalike VA website
Who it targets: Veterans searching for VA forms, claim filing, or records online.
A site with VA style branding buys search ads or registers a domain that looks official, then charges for things VA provides free, such as filing a claim, downloading a form, or requesting records. Some exist only to harvest personal information entered into fake forms.
- The address does not end in .gov
- The site charges a fee to file a VA claim or download a VA form
- Forms ask for your Social Security number before telling you what the service costs
- The page urges you to act before a deadline that does not exist
- File claims and download every VA form free at VA.gov
- Type va.gov directly instead of clicking search ads
- Check any veteran service site against the official VA directory before entering personal information
Pension poaching
Who it targets: Elderly veterans and surviving spouses who may qualify for VA pension with Aid and Attendance.
A financial planner or organizer offers to qualify a veteran for VA pension by moving assets into annuities or trusts, usually charging fees or earning commissions on the products. The transfers can trigger VA's 36 month look back and a penalty period of up to five years under 38 CFR 3.276, can create Medicaid eligibility problems later, and can lock savings into products the veteran cannot access.
- Free seminars at senior communities promising VA pension qualification
- Advice to move savings into an annuity or trust specifically to pass VA's net worth limit
- Fees charged for preparing a pension application, which accredited representatives may not charge for an original claim
- No discussion of the look back period, penalty months, or Medicaid consequences
- Talk to an accredited VSO or attorney before moving any assets
- Ask specifically how a transfer interacts with 38 CFR 3.276 and with state Medicaid rules
- Get any recommendation in writing, including commissions the adviser earns
The law: 38 CFR 3.276 imposes a 36 month look back on asset transfers for pension and a penalty period of up to five years.
The benefits buyout advance
Who it targets: Veterans with steady VA compensation or pension income who need cash quickly.
A company offers a lump sum today in exchange for some or all of your future benefit payments, framed as an advance rather than a loan. Worked out as interest, these deals routinely cost the equivalent of 30 to 100 percent or more per year. Federal law at 38 U.S.C. 5301 makes VA benefit payments nonassignable, so these arrangements are built to route around a prohibition that exists to protect you.
- Any offer of cash now for your future VA payments
- A contract that has your benefits deposited into an account the company controls
- Marketing aimed at veterans in financial distress that avoids the words loan and interest
- Pressure to sign before you can have someone review the contract
- Treat any benefits buyout as a debt with an extreme interest rate and compare it to any other credit option
- Talk to a nonprofit credit counselor or your county veterans service office about alternatives
- Report the offer to the CFPB and your state attorney general
The law: 38 U.S.C. 5301 provides that VA benefit payments are nonassignable and exempt from the claims of creditors.
The veteran sounding charity
Who it targets: Donors who want to support veterans, including veterans themselves.
A solicitation by phone, mail, or social media uses a name that sounds like a well known veterans organization and applies pressure for an immediate donation. Little or none of the money reaches veterans. The FTC and state regulators have repeatedly shut down operations of this type, and the pattern reappears under new names.
- A name one or two words different from a charity you already know
- Pressure to donate immediately, by gift card, wire, or cryptocurrency
- Refusal to send written information about programs and finances
- Thanks you for a pledge you never made
- Look the organization up on the IRS tax exempt search and a rating service before giving
- Donate directly through a charity's own website instead of responding to inbound calls
- Report suspect solicitations to the FTC and your state charity regulator
Paying for free military records
Who it targets: Veterans and family members who need a DD-214 or service records.
A website charges 30 to 100 dollars or more to request your DD-214 or military records, sometimes with a recurring subscription buried in the terms. The National Archives provides these records free to veterans and next of kin, and most requests can be made online in minutes.
- Any fee to request your own DD-214 or Official Military Personnel File
- A records site that is not archives.gov or a .gov address
- A subscription or membership attached to a records request
- Request records free at the National Archives eVetRecs portal or through milConnect
- Ask your county veterans service office for help; record requests are a routine free service
The deployed service member imposter
Who it targets: People in online relationships, and veterans whose photos are stolen for fake profiles.
A scammer builds a relationship online using stolen photos of a real service member, then asks for money for leave paperwork, a phone, customs fees, or a flight home. The military does not charge members to take leave or to communicate, and deployed personnel have access to their own pay. Payments are requested by gift card, wire, or cryptocurrency because those are hard to reverse.
- Claims to be deployed and unable to video call, ever
- Any request for money tied to leave papers, communication fees, or customs
- Payment requested by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency
- The relationship moves fast and the person cannot receive mail at a military address
- Stop sending anything of value and cut contact
- Reverse image search the profile photos
- Report the profile to the platform and the scam to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
Where to report
Benefit and identity schemes: VSAFE (call 833-38V-SAFE) or the VA OIG hotline. Consumer fraud: reportfraud.ftc.gov. Unaccredited claim help: VA Office of General Counsel. This page was last reviewed on 2026-07-21 and is updated as new patterns are documented.