Posted on Jul 28, 2014

How to Swindle Soldiers

LTC Jason Strickland

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According to The Washington Post, these three companies: USA Discounters, Freedom Furniture and Electronics, and Military Credit Services, sell goods to service members on credit and then, if they fall behind, go after them in Virginia courts, regardless of where the service members are based. Together the three companies have filed 35,000 lawsuits in a little under a decade.
Anybody deal with these companies? Any others we should know about?
Definitely candidates for a commander's list of off limits establishments!

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/07/how-to-swindle-soldiers/375090/

Posted in these groups: Logistics fraud

Fraud

Posted >1 y ago

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LTC Jason Strickland

Posted >1 y ago

This blatant exploitation of our junior service members still fires me up. Any other companies out there operating like this?

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MSG Wade Huffman

>1 y

Unfortunately I'm sure there are, especially if you count the local "we finance E-1 and up" establishments outside of every gate. The best we can do is continue to educate our troops and call these businesses out whenever possible.

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MSG Wade Huffman

Posted >1 y ago

I have heard of at least one of these companies and they do advertise (heavily) around military installations. I fairly sure I've even seen their flyers in post newspapers in the past as well. It's bad enough that they are exploiting service members on the initial purchase (2-3 times the value of the item sold at a minimum); but to then use a loophole in the law to preclude the ability of the service member to represent themselves is unconscionable.
I agree that Commanders (or even the services themselves) should unite and place these businesses 'off limits'.

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