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Veterans Benefits Administration |
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Protect Your Personal Information by Watching Out for Fraud Schemes
As tax season comes to a close, make sure you continue to protect your benefits and financial information.
Have you received a text or call requesting personally identifiable information (PII) or banking information? If this information ends up in the wrong hands, it can be used to access your benefits through the National Contact Center (NCC) hotline and to commit scams such as identity theft and tax fraud. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has received reports of scammers contacting Veterans and their beneficiaries requesting highly sensitive PII and financial material to update Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) payments and VA benefits.
VA encourages Veterans and their families to follow these best practices to protect their PII and benefits:
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Maintain healthy cyber habits.
- Use strong passwords for all devices.
- Change passwords frequently.
- Enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts.
- Set security software to update automatically.
- Encrypt devices.
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Be cautious of companies claiming to contact you on behalf of VA or presenting themselves as having special affiliation with VA. Do not provide personal banking or credit card information to anyone alleging affiliation with VA or other federal entities. VA will never text to confirm or request PII for benefits or federal payments.
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Do not share personal data. Never share PII – such as your VA National Call Center personal pin, date of birth, military entrance/discharge information, branch of service, Social Security Numbers (SSNs), etc. – if requested via mobile communications or hyperlinks. Do not open suspicious emails, attachments, or click on links from unknown sources. If in doubt, call VA directly at 1-800-827-1000.
- Do not provide a copy of your driver’s license, passport, VA ID, or any other type of picture identification card to anyone via text message, fax, or email correspondence.
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Use multi-factor authentication. Visit VA.gov for more information on verifying your identity and obtaining a VA Security Personal Identification Number (PIN). A VA Security PIN is an additional way to secure direct deposit accounts from theft and protect PII.
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Get an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN). The IRS assigns IP PINs to taxpayers to help prevent SSN misuse on fraudulent federal income tax returns. “Bad Actors” can use SSNs to commit tax fraud by filing a fraudulent return and/or claiming a refund or credit. To prevent someone else from filing a tax return using your SSN, obtain an IP PIN.
Learn more about identity theft prevention strategies at Identity Theft Prevention (VA.gov).
To report suspected fraudulent activity, Veterans may contact:
- VA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) at OIG Hotline (VA.gov).
- VA directly at 1-800-827-1000.
- The Federal Trade Commission, to file a complaint, if an entity is projecting misinformation or has questionable business practices regarding VA entitlements.
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