FTC alert on scam targeting veterans

Debit and credit card issuers should be aware that customers who are veterans may contact them about being scammed by crooks using a phony telephone line to pose as representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Veterans Choice Program (VCP). The VCP is a VA initiative the allows certain eligible veterans to use approved health care providers outside the VA system. The legitimate program uses a toll-free number starting with 866. According to a Federal Trade Commission alert, the scammers set up a phone line with the same number, starting with 800. When a veteran dials the bogus line, a message reports the veteran is entitled to a rebate if he or she provides a card number. An unauthorized charge is posted to the veteran's card account, and the veteran has to cancel the card.