Con Artists Using Fake Military Documents to Swindle Money Using Soldier’s Identities | Guardian Of Valor

January 16, 2013 guardianofvalor

We have been getting a lot of emails lately asking us about Soldiers overseas asking for cash from civilians, mainly females, to come home for leave from Afghanistan. This seems to be one of the newest scams coming mainly out of the African continent.

The forms they are sending to these people are very convincing, especially if you are not familiar with the military and the way leave works. First, no one can sign for a Soldier to go on leave except the Soldiers Chain of Command. If a Soldier is coming home from overseas on emergency leave, as a lot of the scammer’s are saying, they would not have to pay to come home. The government covers travel to and from the HOR(Home of Record). If a Soldier is coming home for his scheduled R&R, the Government also covers this for them.

You should never send money via Western Union to someone you have never met, as Western Union is an unsafe way to send money, because once it is sent you will never get it back. Some of these civilians have been scammed out of thousands of dollars. These scammers are praying on the hearts of the civilians that care so much for our Soldiers fighting for us overseas. And they feel like they are helping out by helping a Soldier in need.

One email I read was supposedly from a Soldiers Chain of Command, and told the lady that he had been Wounded In Action and evacuated to a hospital in the United Kingdom. First off, when a Soldier is wounded and has to be Medically evacuated out of country, they are sent to Germany.

Here is a quote from one of the emails:

“Dear mam

There is no problem with the form one of the two Us Army logo is a seal and after you fill it and the approval is been send to you the other seal will be put on the form.

Thanks for your understanding
Us Army Vacation office”

There is no such thing as the US Army Vacation office!

Here is another email from this address: USA kabul

“We are sorry to inform you that Major Aaron Perez has been injured in an attack on friday .He has been flown to a Military hospital in the United Kingdom. It is normal protocol that we must inform Major Aaron Perez family the situation of things here.We are not sure if he would make it yet but we hope he survives any infection from his wounds and he could return back to his duty post.

Major Aaron Perez is a member of the U.S Navy Seals because of the secretive nature of his job, we want you to keep our correspondence with you confidential.If you wish that he is released to you immediately.Attached with this email is the Policy and Instructions for Leave Request,if you agree with the terms for his leave. please print it out, endorse and send it back to us via email.”

This is the form he sent:

THIS IS A FAKE FORM NOT AN OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT

Another document attached to the email, these are listed as instructions, again another fake form.