SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Editors note: The video above aired on July 13
The Illinois National Guard is advising their soldiers, airmen and their families to continue looking for telephone and online scams.
On July 25, a soldier reported receiving a phone call from someone impersonating a first sergeant regarding backpay for the Soldier’s dependents during basic training.
"The person instructed the Soldier to log into the military pay and leave system and give him details about his last three active-duty paychecks, his current account balance and then instructed the Soldier to send him $278.24 via a digital payment app such as Venmo, Zelle, and CashApp, to an account under the name of Aryk Smith to receive upwards of $1,200 in backpay," said the Department of Military Affairs.
Luckily, the soldier grew suspicious of the call and reached out to their unit leaders who instructed them to cancel the payment and file a police report.
Soldiers are being reminded that Military Pay will never reach out to them individually regarding backpay issues without the full-time unit support and leadership knowledge of the issue.
If soldiers receive a similar call, they should report it immediately to their unit and chain of command.