{"id":7527,"date":"2024-08-09T17:01:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-09T17:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7527"},"modified":"2024-08-09T17:01:00","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T17:01:00","slug":"va-and-the-biden-harris-administration-announce-new-government-wide-website-call-center-to-protect-veterans-from-fraud-and-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7527","title":{"rendered":"VA and the Biden-Harris Administration announce new government-wide website, call center to protect Veterans from fraud and scams"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2024-08-09T17:01:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

WASHINGTON <\/strong>\u2014 Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Biden-Harris Administration announced the launch of VSAFE.gov<\/a> and 1-833-38V-SAFE (1-833-388-7233) \u2014 a new government-wide website and call center designed to protect Veterans, service members, and their families from fraud and scams.<\/p>\n

These new resources will help inform Veterans and their families of common fraud schemes, give them tools to protect themselves, and provide an outlet for reporting and further assistance. Launched as part of the White House VSAFE (Veterans, Servicemembers, and Families Fraud Evasion) interagency Policy Council effort, the call center and website combine resources from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of State, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Internal Revenue Service, Office of Management & Budget, and Social Security Administration to ensure that there is no \u201cwrong door\u201d approach for Veterans and service members to access reporting tools and resources to combat fraud.<\/p>\n

Fraud prevention resources are particularly critical at a time when VA is delivering more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before under the PACT Act, which was signed into law by President Biden two years ago tomorrow. This influx of new benefits may make Veterans, service members, and families targets for bad actors. VA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration are laser-focused on getting these heroes the tools they need to avoid fraud and scams.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis new call center and website are a one-stop-shop for Veterans, service members, and their families to help avoid fraud and scams,\u201d said VA Secretary Denis McDonough.<\/strong> \u201cWe know that more Veterans than ever before are now receiving VA benefits, which sadly means that more bad actors are trying to steal those benefits. That\u2019s why we\u2019re launching these tools: to give these heroes every tool at the federal government\u2019s disposal to protect themselves and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPredatory actors are constantly looking for new ways to exploit new and evolving technologies to target service members, compromising their personal data and financial stability as well as their military readiness,\u201d said Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra<\/strong>. \u201cThe VSAFE initiative is a key component of a whole-of-government collaboration to protect veterans from fraudsters and scammers, and the CFPB is committed to working with our partners in this important effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder President Biden, the Department of Education has taken seriously its role in preventing and responding to scams and fraud targeting servicemembers, veterans, and their families in the federal student aid programs. We have stepped up enforcement efforts, expanded partnerships with other state and federal agencies, and issued a number of new regulations\u2014including closing the 90\/10 loophole that encouraged predatory colleges to target veterans and servicemembers. Today, we are pleased to join the White House and other partner agencies across the federal government in standing up a new central hub for servicemembers and veterans to report fraud and connect with the proper agency to assist them,\u201d said Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe White House\u2019s scam and fraud evasion campaign has provided the Department of Defense an opportunity to connect with twenty-six federal agencies to coordinate, collaborate and create long term partnerships to identify and prevent scams and fraud. The comprehensive website and toll-free helpline will provide centralized, vetted, information from across the Federal government for Service members, veterans and their families,\u201d said Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Ashish Vazirani<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis initiative will bring together the expertise from across the federal government in support of veterans, service members, and their families.\u00a0The FCC is proud to be a part of this important work to combat fraud that too often targets these households,\u201d said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cTo that end, the FCC continues to work with its federal partners to protect veterans, service members, and their families from scammers pushing misleading \u2018debt relief\u2019 robocalls.\u00a0We have put these bad actors on notice that they can\u2019t target people with this junk and take advantage of their efforts to build a better financial future for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 establishment of this essential website and hotline is a proactive measure to help protect veterans, service members, their families, and consumers alike from vicious scams. These centralized resources will help consumers better safeguard their assets, obtain accurate information, and report fraud,\u201d said Acting Social Security Administration Inspector General Michelle Anderson.<\/strong> \u201cIn collaboration with SSA, the Office of the Inspector General is excited support this initiative and collaborate across government, as we have successfully done with our Slam the Scam Day initiative over the last five years. We know firsthand that partnerships exponentially increase public awareness and significantly help to combat scams and fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe FTC stands shoulder to shoulder with its sister agencies, fully committed to serving veterans, servicemembers, and their families. Protecting military consumers from fraud and other illegal practices has long been a priority for the Commission \u2014 from cases like Harris Jewelry and Career Step, to rulemakings to address scams and illegal business practices that target those who serve our nation, to data analysis of military reports to the FTC\u2019s Consumer Sentinel, to our education and outreach work at MilitaryConsumer.gov and co-leading Military Consumer Month with DoD\u2019s Office of Financial Readiness and the CFPB\u2019s Office of Servicemember Affairs. We\u2019re proud of the Agency\u2019s work with our VSAFE partners. By collaborating to create a centralized hub for fraud prevention resources, we\u2019re ensuring veterans, servicemembers, their families, caregivers, and survivors get the access to the help they need right when they need it. We look forward to these efforts deepening the ability of all member agencies to better serve the military community,\u201d said FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Samuel Levine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Internal Revenue Service is proud to partner with other agencies to help veterans and their families impacted by fraud or identity theft. Making it easier for those who have served and sacrificed is the right thing to do. We look forward to\u00a0the\u00a0ongoing collaboration and partnership,\u201d said IRS\u00a0Taxpayer Services Chief Ken Corbin.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Key new resources include:<\/strong><\/p>\n