The FTC is warning that veterans are receiving postcards promising a nonexistent "Veterans Savings Program," a phishing lure dressed up with real VA benefit names — the same week it renewed its standing advice to verify any charity, especially one asking for disaster-relief donations, before giving.
Never call the number on an unsolicited postcard about your benefits — go directly to the VA's own number, and check any charity at ftc.gov/charity before you donate.
Why it's "Elevated" today
We don't predict the future. This level reflects what is verifiably happening right now.
An FTC consumer alert (August 24, 2026) warns that veterans nationwide are getting postcards saying they, or a spouse, might qualify for extra monthly benefits through a "Veterans Savings Program" — a program that does not exist. The postcards borrow real VA benefit names like CHAMPVA or TRICARE For Life to look legitimate and push recipients to call a number right away, with the goal of phishing for personal or financial information. The FTC's advice: contact the VA directly using a number you already know is real, starting with the VA Benefits Hotline at 1-800-827-1000, never the number printed on the postcard.
FTC Consumer Alert (August 24, 2026): How to spot a postcard scam targeting veteransThe FTC renewed its standing warning on charity scams on August 27, 2026, noting that fake and copycat charities exploit any active disaster or weather emergency to solicit donations that never reach anyone in need. This is a pattern the FTC documents every year around hurricane season and other disasters, not a new single event — its advice is constant: research a charity before giving, and never donate by cash, gift card, wiring money, or cryptocurrency, since those are hard to trace and even harder to get back.
FTC Consumer Alert (August 27, 2026): When donating, support those in need, not a scammerActive right now
The scams behind today's level.
The postcard mixes in real VA benefit names to look official, then pushes you to call a number that leads to a phishing pitch, not a benefit. Contact the VA yourself at a number you already know is real.
Read the guideA convincing name is not proof a charity is real. Check any organization at ftc.gov/charity before donating, and pay by card or check, not cash, wire, crypto, or gift card.
Read the guideEditorial, not algorithmic. Risk levels are a transparent editorial judgment based on a published rubric — with sources, never pseudo-precise scores.
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