Have you gotten a request for donations from the United Arab Emirates with what looks like the Veterans Administration endorsing it?

According to Command Sergeant Major E.G. Mais, the San Antonio VFW Post 8541 services officer, cyber criminals have duplicated the VA’s PTSD education website (an act known as spoofing). They have furthered their deception by created a fake CNN news segment about the study to add a sense of false legitimacy.

“While the VA’s Inspector General is pursuing ways to remove the website, the quality of the fake can mislead veterans into donating money to fund this fake study,” Mais said. “It’s important to inform the elderly and others who might be vulnerable to these kinds of social engineering tactics.”

This breed of intricately fake videos, known as deep fakes, are already wreaking havoc on social media sites. Scammers have impersonated celebrities, such as Elon Musk, to encourage victims to send them money. 

According to cybersecurity industry experts, deepfakes will become increasingly more common as artificial intelligenge and computer technology continues to grow. Therefore it is critical that members of the  military community and their families educate themselves of the different tricks and social engineering tactics cyber criminals use to exploit unsuspecting victims. One of the best defenses against scams is knowing what to look for.

NOTE: If you know of other scams that are targeting the Military community or their families please reach out to MilTRAC. In the meantime we urge our reads to practice their due vigilance when making online donations.
-MilTRAC Admins