That’s Not a Real Soldier: AI Scams Targeting Veterans and Families
A new awareness campaign is raising alarms about how easily criminals can fabricate faces and voices to pose as military personnel — targeting veterans and their families. Using AI-powered deepfakes, scammers impersonate soldiers or loved ones to manipulate victims into giving up money, sensitive information, or access to accounts. (Ground News, via militarytimes.com coverage)
Why This Matters for Disabled Veterans
- Trust Undermined: Veterans and their families are often emotionally vulnerable — exploiting that trust with AI deepfakes changes the scam game entirely.
- Sophistication Not Limited to High-Tech Users: These aren’t random phishing emails — fake voices or videos make these scams feel disturbingly real. A Wall Street Journal–style deepfake once defrauded a company of tens of millions in a single phone call. (Barron’s analysis, Military Times discussion)
- Everyone is a Target: JPMorgan Chase warns that AI-driven scams caused a record $16.6 billion in losses in 2024 — up 33% from 2023. No one is immune. (Military Times, Investopedia via King’s warning)
Real Cases and Broader Concern …
- “Safe Word” Saves Lives: A highly publicized case involved a family whose grandchildren’s voices were cloned to fake a kidnapping. Experts recommend establishing a unique, shared “safety code” phrase — something only family members would know — to confirm identity.
- At-Risk Veterans: Congressional testimony in the 2020 “Hijacking Our Heroes” report highlighted that veterans are especially targeted online — not just for scams, but for disinformation and identity theft.
What You Can Do Right Now …
- Establish a “safe phrase.” Ask for it if you get a call that seems urgent and personal.
- Stop and verify. Never act on a message that pressures you. Pause, then call the person back on a known, trusted line.
- Watch for AI red flags: Flat-tone voices, perfect grammar, over-the-top emotion, or urgency — these are all warning signs.
- Protect your digital footprint. Restrict sharing of voice or video clips online — scammers can train AI on even brief clips.
- Report suspicious incidents. Notify VA benefits or command leadership about fraudulent content or impersonations.
Final Thoughts …
Let’s not let the technology that saved us — through medical advances, logistics, and accessibility — be used to hurt our community. AI can mimic nearly anything, but it can’t replicate loyalty, values, or your instincts.
Protect your digital lane. Stay skeptical. And when in doubt: verify.
For more veteran-focused updates on digital safety, visit DisabledVeterans.org.
The Veterans Healthcare Administration is a scam.
VHA just a bunch of people trying to fuck people in the ass. Folks, this is a degenerating civilization. No wonder China is doing better.
These sorry ass people at the VHA don’t even care if their organization gets sued. Their authority comes first. They’d get sued and then just go right back to being the worst people in the field and being a bunch of derelicts and shit heads.
VHA hiring Mike Lindell and Alex Jones to treat mental health. Hopefully Trump gets rid of these snake oil salesmen, and all the chaplains too, dead weight and a bunch of poop peddlers. Bunch of charlatans and crooks.
Free Luigi
Free Luigi
Free Luigi
400,000 strong work force and no remedies for Constitutional rights violations by those people in there? Whittling away the FTCA? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. And you know to get numbers up like that there must be at least 10,000 of them mentally disordered and/or politically bonkers. This insane political system we have now is not safe to deal with.
The scam is VHA itself. Separation of mental from other medical (they won’t acknowledge what the “other side” does or doesn’t do and responsibility for failure is up in smoke,) Wizard of Oz management hiding behind curtains, the “separation of powers” arguments that give these agencies the power to behave as monkeys, the derelict Congress who doesn’t have time for petty nonsense, the layers of people you gotta get through if you need something done that cost over $100, the phoney baloney people in there who medical gaslight and try to fuck people. This busted jobs program is a disgrace to civilization.
Leave it up to a Republican snake oil salesmen VA secretary to post something about Charlie Kirk on social media…as if that’s supposed to build support and validity for the grossly inadequate healthcare system he runs. So tired of bullshit propaganda and smoke and mirrors. This country is led by dishonest people and confidence men.
Apparently it’s only a wait time scandal if they get caught lying and covering it up. If it just naturally covers itself up because people leave then it’s not a scandal. It’s not a scandal if it magically goes away in less than a year or two. It’s not a scandal if it goes away in one place then pops back up in other. Only if enough people die or they get caught is it a scandal. Folks, this is the worst healthcare system in human history.
VHA targeting veterans and their families with bogus claims in “notes” (downgraded from medical records so they aren’t punished for falsification of federal records.) Now any idiot they hire in there can assassinate your character and retaliate more effectively. Great job VA. Way to embarrass the country. The embarrassment is on paper in many cases… the denial of care is swept under the rug because there’s money involved basically. They want to hide the fact that more money goes to the shit can operation than actual medical care. A ripoff and scam of historical proportions.
Veterans Healthcare Administration psychology scam… you subject yourself to their opinion.. they get paid a pile of money.. sometimes you go away offended or with a sore asshole. Folks, this is what we’ve been reduced to in this country. There’s a fraud on every corner, most people “talking for living” and not actually producing anything. Better use for some VA employees would be replacing the Mexicans they’ve kicked out.. picking strawberries. Instead, useless super citizens with nothing better to do but fuck you.