How to identify, avoid common Memorial Day scams

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Scammers can use Memorial Day to take advantage of victims in various schemes with a patriotic or military approach.

Military members may see more offers with discounts for service members. Civilians may see more charitable requests.

Right now, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is asking the public to remain vigilant, as scammers use the holiday weekend to take advantage of patriotism.

The kinds of scams are typically directed at service members, including high-priced military loans, veterans’ benefits buyout plans, and misleading car sales.

The BBB says it is critical to do your research to avoid getting swept up in the mayhem.

“Check into those businesses, check into those offers, make sure they are legitimate,” said Katie Grevious, Marketing and Community Relations Manager for the BBB. “You can run them through BBB.org to see if those companies are, who they say they are, and make sure that those offers are legitimate.”

The BBB military line provides free resources, like access to scam alerts and complaint and dispute resolutions for all military branches.

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