Sent in by Veterans News and Information Services
Hoax revived on Internet uses veterans as its target
BY SHERYL HARRIS
If you're a veteran, be on guard against a phony benefits offer that
promises you money back on your GI insurance. The Better Business Bureau says the program is a hoax.
The Akron BBB began to spread the word after a local resident reported
getting a notice that promises current and former military personnel
dividends on their GI insurance, allegedly because of a recently passed
law. The notice has a table showing benefits of up to $528, depending on
the years of service, and a form to fill out and send to the Department
of
Veterans Affairs.
But there is no such law or program, according to the VA and the BBB.
The VA has posted a warning about the recurring hoax on its Internet
site at http://www.va.gov/vas/hoax.htm. The hoax apparently has
resurfaced periodically since 1965, and now is making the rounds of
veterans groups thanks largely to the Internet.
According to Veterans Affairs, dividends are not payable to current
service members insured under Serviceman's Group Life Insurance or
Veterans' Group Life Insurance policies. The VA does pay routine
dividends on several policy series, but only to veterans who kept their
policies in force. Those veterans receive their dividends automatically
on
the date of their individual policies and do not have to apply.
Another hoax involving veterans claims that people who served in the
military after 1965 and were insured under the SGLI are entitled to a
refund. They're not.
The nicest thing you can do for veterans is let them know about the
hoaxes.
NOTE: This hoax continues to persist. All we can do is spread the word
not just in Akron, Ohio but throughout the world.
Phony benefits offer resurfacing, BBB warns
Beacon Journal staff writer
