Lots of veterans use the eBenefits system to manage their benefits and receive monthly disability payments. It’s online, it’s convenient, and it’s easy to use. However, one thing it may not be is completely safe.
A veteran named Jimmy Sanford recently had his monthly benefit check stolen by hackers.
Sanford did tours in Iraq and injured his knee while he was overseas. When he returned home, he was approved for monthly disability compensation.
His check would come every month on the first, but that didn’t happen in February.
When this happened Sanford was surprised and frustrated. So he did some investigating to find out what happened to his money. What he found frustrated him even more than getting robbed.
“My frustration became anger because I started thinking, ‘Well it happened to me. I’m sure it happened to someone else,’” Sanford said.
Sadly, Sanford was right. Hackers have found a way to get into the VA’s eBenefits system and steal money from veterans. This has been happening since 2014, and it’s unclear how much has been stolen over the years.
We didn’t write about this to incite panic or get veterans across the country to stop using eBenefits. So far these thefts appear to be isolated and the VA is investigating. We just wanted to make veterans aware of the situation so they can keep an eye on things.
Getting approved for VA benefits is already a hard battle, and protecting your benefit payments shouldn’t be another battle to fight. Hopefully the VA can make the necessary changes to eBenefits to make sure it’s safe and secure. In the meantime, if your benefits suddenly go missing, report it immediately.
Source: WBRC
