A woman says someone tried to hijack her Veterans Affairs disability payments—and now she believes the attempt may have involved inside access.
Deputies took a report after the woman claimed someone attempted to change the direct deposit information for her VA disability benefits without her knowledge.
According to the report, the woman discovered the problem after returning to work and finding an email from the Department of Veterans Affairs indicating her direct deposit information had been changed.
She immediately contacted the VA and was told the banking information had, in fact, been altered. During a follow-up conversation, she said a VA representative advised that the phone number listed on the account belonged to someone she knows personally.
The woman told deputies she has had previous unwanted contact from that individual and had already blocked multiple attempts to reach her through phone calls and social media.
According to the report, the VA later informed her the attempted changes had not ultimately been processed, preventing any interruption to her disability payments.
The woman told deputies she believes someone with access to the VA system may have assisted in changing the information on her account. Investigators noted that allegation has not been substantiated.
She reported filing a complaint with the Office of Inspector General and said she was advised to make a report with local law enforcement. She also told deputies she plans to seek a protection order.
The woman said she has retained emails from the VA, voicemail messages, and screenshots that she believes document the attempted changes.
Protect Your Government Benefits From Fraud
Identity thieves increasingly target government benefit accounts because they often involve recurring direct deposits.
Experts recommend:
- Regularly review your direct deposit information.
- Be alert for emails notifying you of account changes you didn’t request.
- Enable multi-factor authentication whenever available.
- Never ignore unexpected notices involving benefit payments.
- Report suspicious activity immediately to the agency involved and your financial institution.
Catching unauthorized account changes quickly can prevent payments from being redirected and make it easier to reverse fraudulent activity before money is lost.
