WASHINGTON—The Federal Trade Commission and its federal, state and local partners have kicked off the month-long recognition of military consumers, Military Consumer Month.
This year, the agency and its partners will focus on the fight against imposter scams, the FTC said.
“Empowering servicemembers, veterans, and their families is a top priority,” FTC Chairman Joe Simons said. “During Military Consumer Month, we will highlight the agency’s resources to help the military community avoid imposter scams – but our work on behalf of those who serve continues throughout the year.”
For 2018, the FTC said it is focusing on fighting imposter scams. An imposter scam is when a con artist pretends to be someone a person trusts to convince the individual to send money or personal information.
“Although these scams can happen to anyone, the FTC’s most recent data found that military consumers reported losing more than $25 million to imposter scams in 2017, with a median loss of $699 – higher than the $500 median loss reported by the general U.S. population,” the FTC said.
During Military Consumer Month, the FTC will post weekly tips for servicemembers, veterans and their families about some of the most common imposter scams, and participate in Twitter chats and Facebook Live events with its partners.