BBB Tip of the Week

Often scammers use fear tactics and bullying to fleece their victims, but other times they fuel subtler emotions. Affinity fraud occurs when scammers pretend to have a similar trait as their victim in order to foster camaraderie.

This type of scam works because people tend to let their guard down around others who are like them. A major target of affinity scams is the military, namely those who serve or have served and their families. The bonds and trust between fellow military service members can be strong. Scammers manipulate this to their advantage.

Military scams can include claims of quick and easy credit, “guaranteed” personal loans, big returns on or “risk-free” investments, home rental “deals” that disappear, online romance and charitable giving.

Better Business Bureau shares the following tips to avoid affinity fraud:

• Be skeptical of anyone new in your life proposing a deal or asking for money, even if they seem to share interests or a similar background.

• When someone is pressuring you, walk away. Make this your game plan beforehand. When you’re prepared to walk away, you have a better chance of avoiding a scam or bad deal.

• Investments always have an element of risk. “Risk-free” is a red flag of fraud.

• Don’t take their word for it. Ask for references. Ask for verifiable proof of claims. Often hype is just hype, not real.

• Don’t get lured by the words “veteran” or “military” in company and charity names or in ads. They may not provide any benefit to the military community or have the support of veterans or military.

• Get all offers, deals and contracts in writing. Review before you sign. If anything you read is unclear, ask questions to clarify. Consider consulting a lawyer.

• Research the company and offer. You can look up BBB Business Reviews at www.bbb.org. Search for deals and include the word “scam” to see if others have reported it as a scam.

If you’ve been the victim of affinity fraud or scams, be sure to report it to the police. For more advice on scams, visit BBB at www.bbb.org/eastern- washington/ or call (509) 455-4200.

Erin T. Dodge, BBB editor