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AFTER FACING INSURGENTS, TERRORISTS, AND TRIBAL MILITIAS, U.S. military per- sonnel and veterans might find themselves facing a new threat: online scam artists.

> Former Army Chief of Staff Gen.

Ray Odierno and retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal are among those whose identities have been stolen and used by perpetrators of an Internet romance scam. The now-defunct bogus website www .usmilitarybenefit.org fraudulently collected the Army Knowledge On- line email accounts and passwords of many servicemembers. Fake military charities, veterans’ pension scams, and identity-theft rackets that target active duty military per- sonnel also populate the Web. “It’s an evolving industry,” says

Chris Grey, chief of public affairs at U.S. Army Criminal Investiga- tion Command (CID) in Quantico, Va., which is beefing up its cadre of computer crime experts. “The scams online are just countless. They’re making millions of dollars.”

Another day, another scam Advance pay schemes require a vic- tim to pay money up front in order to receive some kind of payoff — it could be in the form of a loan, lottery prize, contract, grant, or gift. “There are scams where someone says, ‘I’m in the military, I need to sell my car right away,’ ” Grey says. Only after

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paying a bargain price does the vic- tim discover there is no car. Phishing is a regretfully common tactic that uses spam email or pop- up messages to trick consumers into disclosing information, ranging from credit card numbers and bank account information to passwords. “Be wary of anything that asks for any type of per- sonal information,” Grey advises. In 2014 alone, an estimated 10 million Americans fell victim to

identity theft, according to Looks Too Good To Be True (www.look stoogoodtobetrue.com), a website developed and maintained by a joint federal law enforcement and in- dustry task force. Losses reportedly topped $50 billion. Romance scams are a daily con- cern for Grey. Con artists posing as servicemembers or veterans in search of love sweep victims off their feet, and then they convince their

<PROTECT YOURSELF FROM IDENTITY THEFT>

 Never throw away ATM receipts, credit statements, credit cards, or bank statements in a usable form.  Reconcile your bank account monthly, and notify your bank of discrep- ancies immediately.  Monitor credit card statements monthly for fraudulent activity. Review a copy of your credit report at least once a year.  Never give your credit card number out in response to an unsolicited email or telephone call.  Ensure websites are secure before submitting a credit card number.  Set strong passwords, and don’t share them with anyone.  Be aware of missed bills, which could indicate an account has been compromised. Active duty servicemembers who deploy can place what’s called an “active duty alert” on their credit reports to help minimize their risk of identity theft. The alert requires creditors to take steps to verify an ap- plicant’s identity before granting credit.