FTC Warns Veterans: That ‘Veterans Savings Program’ Postcard Is a Scam

The Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert on August 24, 2026 warning veterans about a postcard scam impersonating the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It’s a simple con built on a trusted envelope — and it’s worth a few minutes to understand exactly how it works.

What the postcard claims

The mailers tell recipients they qualify for extra monthly benefits through a “Veterans Savings Program” — a program that does not exist. To look more convincing, some versions reference real VA programs like CHAMPVA or TRICARE For Life. The postcards create urgency, pressuring veterans to call and respond immediately, and the calls are where the actual theft happens: scammers attempt to collect Social Security numbers and bank account information over the phone.

How to tell it’s fake

The FTC is direct about the tell: legitimate VA communications will not pressure a recipient to respond immediately or ask for sensitive information over the phone. If a mailer does both of those things, that alone is reason enough to ignore it.

How to verify any benefit offerCall the VA Benefits Hotline directly at 1-800-827-1000 — never a number printed on the postcard itself, since a scam mailer can print any number it wants. The VA’s real hotline can confirm in minutes whether an offer is legitimate.

How to report it

The FTC’s guidance: ignore the postcard, verify any claim through the official VA Benefits Hotline, and report suspected scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or through VA at VSAFE.gov (1-833-38V-SAFE). Reporting doesn’t just protect the person who reports — it helps regulators track and shut down the mailing operations behind these campaigns, and it helps VA and FTC warn other veterans before more postcards go out.

Why veterans are targeted so often

Veterans are a recurring target for this style of scam for a straightforward reason: VA benefits are real, they change from year to year, and most veterans genuinely don’t have every program memorized — which makes an official-looking postcard promising “extra” money plausible on its face. Scammers lean on that uncertainty and on the credibility of the VA seal or program names like CHAMPVA and TRICARE For Life, betting that a recipient will call the number on the card before thinking to verify it independently. The fix is the same every time: any offer, from any source, gets checked through a number the recipient already trusts — never one printed on the thing being verified.

A short checklist worth keeping

Before responding to any mailer that claims to offer a special government or insurance benefit: don’t call the number printed on the postcard; look up the agency’s official number independently and call that instead; never give a Social Security number, bank account, or card number to an inbound caller or in response to a mailer; and treat pressure to “act now” as a warning sign rather than a reason to hurry. Legitimate government benefits don’t expire in the days it takes to make a phone call.

A good reminder for every benefit offer, not just this one

Many union and working-family households include a veteran, and scams like this one specifically trade on the trust veterans place in official-looking government mail. It’s a useful reminder for agents and policyholders alike: legitimate benefit offers — whether from the VA or from an insurance carrier — never require an unsolicited postcard reply with a Social Security number attached. That standard applies just as much to insurance offers as it does to government mail. Encourage anyone in your household to verify any “special benefit” offer through a known, official number before sharing personal or financial information, and to route final expense or whole life questions through a licensed agent they’ve verified independently — our veterans coverage page and who we serve explain how we work with veteran and military families.

Source

• Federal Trade Commission: How to Spot a Postcard Scam Targeting Veterans

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the "Veterans Savings Program" scam?

A postcard mailer impersonating the VA that claims recipients qualify for extra monthly benefits through a nonexistent “Veterans Savings Program,” then pressures them to call and share a Social Security number and bank information.

How can I verify if a benefits offer is real?

Call the VA Benefits Hotline directly at 1-800-827-1000 — never a number printed on the mailer itself — and confirm before responding to any offer or sharing personal information.

Where do I report a suspected scam like this?

Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or to the VA at VSAFE.gov or 1-833-38V-SAFE.