Paid 'help' with VA benefits or a veteran's pension
Scammers target service members and veterans with offers to speed up VA claims, increase benefits, or cash out a pension. Many of these pitches charge high fees or ask people to hand over login information they should never share.
How it works
The contact may come as a call, email, text, ad, or social message, often close to Veterans Day or other military dates. One version charges veterans to 'help' file an initial VA claim and promises faster processing or a larger award. Another, sometimes called pension poaching, lures veterans into forwarding pension money with promises of instant cash. Other related schemes include fake veteran charities, overpriced 'military' financing deals, and credit-monitoring offers that are used to open accounts. New York's attorney general issued a November 2026 alert and an online guide for this community. Official VA help does not require you to give away your VA.gov or myPay login.
Red flags
- Someone guarantees faster VA processing, a bigger award, or instant pension cash, especially for an upfront fee.
- They ask for your VA.gov, DFAS myPay, or other government login.
- They claim to be with the VA or another official office but contacted you unexpectedly.
- A charity or 'special military deal' pressures you to pay right away.
What to do
- Do not share VA or myPay logins, and do not pay an upfront fee for basic claims help.
- Check benefit messages in your official VA account or by calling official VA numbers you look up yourself.
- Talk with someone you trust before you send money or sign paperwork.
- Report the pitch at reportfraud.ftc.gov, at ic3.gov, and to your state attorney general (New Yorkers can call 1-800-771-7755).
Where to report it
- reportfraud.ftc.gov — the FTC's report form.
- ic3.gov — the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.