Bogus Credit card mail

[PenPilot]

Dear Navy Parents,

My Son became a sailor very recently, having “graduated” from the Training Center in Great Lakes. Perhaps loved one is there now. That makes us family. And as a 'senior' family member I am writing you to warn about practices that I've seen here, that could cause your future sailor a lot of trouble.

While our sons and daughters are taking the pledge to serve this country, internet thieves, the scum of society, are lurking in these pages trolling for just the kind of information that you share in this space.

Information that you post here; like your kid's name; Division, and ship number, is being gathered and used to send bogus letters written to take advantage of your recruits relative inexperience.

Recruits, who have never had a credit card or bank account before, are getting very real looking letters urging them to call – as quickly as possible – to resolve an issue with there new account. So instead of using “call time” to phone home, your future sailors (who are never going to be paid a fraction of what they truly deserve) are nervously making calls that could potentially bankrupt them and ruin their credit for years to come.

As a fellow parent, I urge you to protect your love one here online as diligently as you protected them while raising them at home. Never share your kid's (I just can't call them child) name, Division or Ship number. Not here. Not on Facebook. (A mistake that I'm guilty of.) As you know, from the letters you've written, this is all that is needed to get a letter to your kid.

Please share this information with your Recruit in your next letter to them, and have them spread the word with their Shipmates.

Thanks very much for your time.

[lemonelephant]

PenPilot, Have you contacted the RTC about this?

The RDC's can be alerted to warn the recruits if they receive this kind of mail.

[PenPilot]

My Son has moved on from "boot camp".  The letter above is an attempt to warn current Great Lake recruit's.

[lemonelephant]

You can still email the PAO at [e-mail] and let them know that this has happened so they can let the RDC's know.

[lemonelephant]

For Everyone, Addresses at the RTC are in the public domain so what PenPilot indicates is a possibility when you indicate your recruit's division number (even replying within the discussion for your recruit's division in your PIR group) and you indicate your recruit's name (even just the first name) and/or your Username and/or the URL to your My Page has your last name in it. Please practice PERSEC and take precautions. There is more info on some precautions you can take in OPSEC and PERSEC (Making Changes to Your Profile) (clickable link).