Burnsville, MN – November 10, 2014 – As part of
their outreach to the military community, Better Business Bureau of Minnesota
and North Dakota’s local Military Line (BBB) program has partnered with the
Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance to create a specially-designed tri-fold handout
containing tips on scams targeting service members and their families, as well
as a list of community resources they can turn to when they have questions,
concerns or need assistance.
The handout, which will first be distributed at a MACV
StandDown event in Mankato on Wednesday, November 12 – and then made widely
available to the military community - is designed in muted colors, to be
user-friendly for veterans suffering from symptoms due to traumatic brain
injury (TBI). Reports indicate that up to 20 percent of returning veterans
exhibit symptoms of having sustained traumatic brain injuries. People suffering
from these symptoms find brighter colors and densely-worded materials
off-putting and have difficulty processing information formatted in standard
fashion.
“This information is important to all service members and
veterans, and when we designed this handout, we did so in such a way that it
would be accessible to all,” said Lisa Jemtrud, Director of BBB’s Institute for
Marketplace Ethics. “Our goal is to reach and help protect everyone, but
especially those that need our help most.”
BBB’s new
handout for veterans and servicemembers, as well as their
families and caregivers, includes:
· Tips
on scams targeting military personnel and their families – and how to avoid
them
· An
index of resources available to veterans
· Information
on payday loans and pension scams
· A
list of Do’s and Don’ts designed to protect personal information and help
ensure financial security
For more than two years, BBB of Minnesota and North
Dakota staff has made presentations at more than 100 events, reaching
10,000-plus people through workshops and military expos. BBB regularly provides
information regarding employment scams at job fairs, offers resources to
struggling veterans at StandDown events, conducts workshops on buying a car to
veterans transitioning from various support programs and educates
service members and their families on how to be smart consumers in today's
fast-paced economy.
