WASHINGTON, D.C. — Government officials Tuesday warned veterans to beware of a scam involving imposters attempting to get personal information by imitating a Department of Veterans Affairs phone line.
A phone line has been set up by an unknown party to potentially mimic the Veterans Choice Program phone line, officials said. The imposter phone line may be intended to reach veterans who inadvertently dial the wrong VCP number while seeking Veterans Affairs help finding community-based care.
“We urge all Maine veterans to take extra care when dialing the Veterans Choice Program phone line and to ensure they have the correct number so they are not at risk,” Maine’s congressional delegation said in a joint statement Tuesday.
“It is critical that people throughout the community are aware of these malicious attempts to steal personal information and money from our nation’s veterans, and we encourage Maine people to share this information so that no veterans fall victim to this despicable trap,” the statement said.
The correct VCP phone line is 1-866-606-8198. This line allows veterans to check their eligibility for the VCP and ask questions.
The phone line established to “mimic” the VCP phone line is 1-800-606-8198 — only the second two digits are different.
According to the statement, veterans can tell if they’ve reached the wrong VCP phone line because it offers callers a $100 rebate if the caller provides a credit card, and it does not state that the caller has reached the Veterans Choice Program phone line.
If veterans are unsure if they have reached the correct phone line, they should hang up and dial 1-866-606-8198 again. If they have dialed the correct number, the message will thank the caller for calling the Veterans Choice Program.
Veterans who believe they have been scammed can report it to the Senate Aging Committee’s Fraud Hotline at 1-855-303-9470.
The Veterans Choice Program, established in 2014, is meant to help veterans receive community-based care if they live too far from a VA medical facility or if VA wait times are too long.
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