June 11, 2007:
The American Red Cross recently
issued a rare warning to military families, to beware anyone calling them,
saying they are from the Red Cross, and asking for social security numbers and
other personal data, because a family member was wounded in Iraq and is on his
way to a military hospital in Germany.
Military families, usually the wives of soldiers on
duty overseas, are often approached by scammers taking advantage of the
blizzard of military paperwork military dependents have to deal with. But perhaps
the most heartless ploy, was the gang that checked the obituaries for military
funerals, and then burglarized the home of the grieving family as they were at
the funeral.
Young military personnel, especially those right
out of basic training, have also been the target of numerous swindles, taking
advantage of the fact that these troops are usually teenagers, still suffering
shock and awe from the opaque military bureaucracy, and ready to believe
anything. Unit commanders get periodic announcements from the Pentagon, to be
read to the troops, and warn them of these ancient ploys, that continue to work
on each new generation of recruits.