Scammers targeting families of U.S. soldiers in Iraq

If you receive an email or a Facebook message (apparently) coming from Ray Odierno, Commanding General of the United States Forces in Iraq, offering to get your loved one out of harm’s way (i.e. home) in exchange for the exorbitant sum of $200,000 – just delete it.

The New York Times reports that the General has recently acknowledged that his name is being (mis)used in different online scams. One even tried to fool recipients into believing that he was looking for their help to move out a “hidden” treasure from Iraq.

“I’ve had several scam artists on Facebook use my Facebook page and then go out asking people for all kinds of money: “If you pay $200,000, your son can get sent home early,'” said the real General Odierno.

In a bid to warn potential victims, he even posted – on several occasions – a message on his Facebook page:

This is definitely not the first time that online criminals have tried to take advantage of American soldiers and their families, and it probably won’t be the last. Scammers are famous for their unscrupulousness, and desperate people are ideal targets.