I got an email from the VA - I didn’t click on any links but I did go directly to the site and the email does match up with that. Under any other circumstances, I’d just do what the email wants, but, paranoid or not, I don’t trust this Administration.
What it says, in part, is:
Please take a moment to visit Your Profile | Veterans Affairs to add your home address, mailing address, or both. While you’re there, you may also want to confirm your other contact information is current:
- Home, mobile, and work phone number(s)
- Email address
And what really bothers me is that they want me to take a picture of my driver’s license and upload it. There doesn’t seem to be an option to just input my address. My husband is a veteran and he didn’t get this email.
Am I overreacting? Have any of you received this email?
Does it say who will have access to this information?
New info: Bitdefender Plus popped up with a security alert concerning that website, saying it has been breached and that personal and financial information has been stolen by person or persons unknown.
I am a veteran. I don’t have an existing relationship with the VA nor an account at VA.gov.
I’ve gotten no such email.
The link embedded in @FairyChatMom’s quote is http://va.gov. The correct address is https://www.va.gov. It is a very good bet the lack of the s = secure http and the www. results in being redirected to a scam site depending on some other factors. For me with my browser config I end up at the real site. Somebody set up differently might end up at a scam site.
I’ll note that one can sign on to va.gov with a login.gov identity or an id.me entity. And maybe some legacy VA-specific login I don’t know about. Assuming @FairyChatMom was actually going to the correct website, not hijacked elsewhere somehow, it might be part of either of those identity providers wanting pictures of ID, rather than VA itself.
But overall I agree that extreme caution is advised. Especially if you don’t have any ongoing business at the VA.
That is very scammy sounding. There is no reason at all for a Driver License Picture upload.
I also did not get this Email and the actual Vets have my Email Address.
I have a Vets card and the Veteran National Park Pass Card.
I did have to log in via ID me, which I use to get to my SS account, so that didn’t concern me. It’s primarily the license pic upload that seems off. I don’t like being distrustful, but neither am I getting any VA benefits so why should they need any info beyond email? (Not even our home loan.)
I’m inclined to ignore the email.
If you’re not sure. Err on the side of caution.
I’d ignore. If it’s really important they’ll get back to you.
(Or you could call the Veterans Affairs office for your region/county and ask)
I am a veteran and did not receive any kind of email notice.
I’m a vet, and this email seems suspicious. Try contacting the Veteran’s Advocate for advice. Try looking up the Advocate thru your nearest VA medical facility. Never use a link in a suspicious email, but access the site directly by typing in the actual address. This should be on any official snail-mail material you may get.