{"id":10247,"date":"2024-04-04T17:41:10","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T17:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=10247"},"modified":"2024-04-04T17:51:36","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T17:51:36","slug":"be-vigilant-know-how-to-spot-and-avoid-scams-targeting-army-air-force-exchange-service-shoppers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2024\/04\/04\/be-vigilant-know-how-to-spot-and-avoid-scams-targeting-army-air-force-exchange-service-shoppers\/","title":{"rendered":"Be Vigilant: Know How to Spot and Avoid Scams Targeting Army & Air Force Exchange Service Shoppers"},"content":{"rendered":"

DALLAS<\/strong> \u2013 The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports consumers lost more than $10 billion to fraud and scams in 2023<\/a>, up 14% from the previous year. Some of the most common reported scams\u2014phone or social media; online shopping; gift cards; and prizes and sweepstakes<\/a>\u2014make Army & Air Force Exchange Service shoppers particularly vulnerable.<\/p>\n

The FTC also publishes military-specific fraud reports<\/a>. Since 2019, active-duty service members, Veterans, retirees, Reservists and families have lost nearly $600 million to scams including business and government imposters, tech support scams and identity theft including credit card accounts and government benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith scammers being able to easily \u2018spoof\u2019 phone numbers and email addresses to falsely impersonate legitimate businesses, it is more important than ever to be vigilant,\u201d said Tommie Caudle, the Exchange\u2019s vice president of Loss Prevention. \u201cBy exercising caution and knowing how to spot suspicious interactions, shoppers can avoid falling prey to scams.\u201d<\/p>\n

When interacting with the Exchange online, shoppers should ensure that they are communicating through a verified Exchange profile or email address. For example, the Exchange\u2019s Free Fridays promotion provides prizes to authorized shoppers who comment on the Exchange Facebook\u2019s promotion post each week. The winners are contacted by direct message from the official Exchange Facebook account or by email from an official socialmedia@aafes.com address.<\/p>\n

Other scam methods targeted at shoppers have included offers to broker the sale of cars, motorcycles or boats by impersonating the Exchange. The Exchange does not have the authority to sell vehicles in the continental U.S. and does not advertise in civilian outlets such as newspapers or automobile sales magazines.<\/p>\n

\u201cExchange shoppers must always exercise caution to avoid being taken advantage of by scammers,\u201d said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Osby, the Exchange\u2019s senior enlisted advisor. \u201cBeing careful when clicking unknown links, answering unknown phone numbers and interacting online goes a long way to avoid being a victim of fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 30 \u2013<\/p>\n

Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 54th-largest retailer in the United States. 100% of Exchange earnings support military communities. In the last 10 years, your Exchange benefit has provided $3.5 billion in earnings for critical military Quality-of-Life programs. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize the service, valor and sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans and their families in conjunction with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com<\/a> or follow us on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Media Notes:<\/p>\n

For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Travis Day, 214-312-3534 or daytra@aafes.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:<\/p>\n

Facebook:\u202f www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter:\u202f https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DALLAS \u2013 The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports consumers lost more than $10 billion to fraud and scams in 2023, up 14% from the previous year. Some of the most common reported scams\u2014phone or social media; online shopping; gift cards; and prizes and sweepstakes\u2014make Army & Air Force Exchange Service shoppers particularly vulnerable. The FTC […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":10248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25],"tags":[160,174,107,601,35,600],"class_list":["post-10247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases","tag-aafes","tag-army-air-force-exchange-service","tag-exchange","tag-fraud","tag-military","tag-scam"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2024\/04\/04\/be-vigilant-know-how-to-spot-and-avoid-scams-targeting-army-air-force-exchange-service-shoppers\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Be Vigilant: Know How to Spot and Avoid Scams Targeting Army & Air Force Exchange Service Shoppers","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2024\/04\/04\/be-vigilant-know-how-to-spot-and-avoid-scams-targeting-army-air-force-exchange-service-shoppers\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2024\/04\/04\/be-vigilant-know-how-to-spot-and-avoid-scams-targeting-army-air-force-exchange-service-shoppers\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/04\/50011847578_f87484c65e_k-1.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/04\/50011847578_f87484c65e_k-1.jpg"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Travis Day"}],"creator":["Travis Day"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":["aafes","army & air force exchange service","exchange","fraud","military","scam"],"dateCreated":"2024-04-04T17:41:10Z","datePublished":"2024-04-04T17:41:10Z","dateModified":"2024-04-04T17:51:36Z"},"rendered":"