WASHINGTON – US service members, Department of Defense civilians and their family members now have a tool to stop cons who prey on military personnel.

In a joint effort, DoD and the Federal Trade Commission created Military Sentinel, a web site to be used to identify those who seek to steal identities and set up telemarketing scams, fake sweepstakes and get-rich-quick schemes.

Timothy Muris, Federal Trade Commission chairman said members of the military, their families and civilian DoD employees face the same problems as other consumers. “Members of the military and DoD civilians have unique work challenges and they may not have ready access to consumer-protection channels or consumer information” he said.

Military Sentinel allows members of the U.S. Armed Forces to enter consumer complaints directly into a database that is immediately accessible by more than 500 law enforcement organisations throughout the US, Canada, and Australia.

These agencies use complaint data to target cases for prosecution and other enforcement measures.

It will provide DoD with the means to gauge consumer-protection issues facing the military community, and Military Sentinel will promote financial literacy and education through the links to information on consumer-protection issues available on the site.

By going to the site at www.consumer.gov/military and clicking on consumer information at the bottom of the page, consumers can learn 66 ways to save money, the latest telemarketing and mailbox scams and even ways to help aging loved ones from becoming victims.

–American Forces Press Service

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