Published: June 14, 2020 on our newsletter Security Fraud News & Alerts Newsletter.
No doubt you have heard of recent political tensions between the U.S. and Iran. It’s still a hot topic and now scammers are trying to convince young people that they must register for an impending draft in case there is a declaration of war. Well, that is simply wrong in many ways.
First off, the U.S. Military has been an all-volunteer organization since the Vietnam War in 1973. Reinstating the draft would take an act of Congress and the President. So far, that has not happened.
If you get a message in the form of a text, email, or see something on Twitter and that you need to go to the nearing military recruiting station to report for duty, there is no immediate need. You will not go to jail, as the message states. The U.S. Army Recruiting Command issued a statement saying it has received multiple calls and emails about this but wants to make sure that Americans know the texts are false and were not initiated by the command or the U.S. Army. The Selective Service is in charge of managing registration for the draft, but has issued a statement that it is “conducting business as usual.”
No need to panic. So far there has not been a declaration of war on Iran. And while males between the ages of 18 and 25 are indeed required to register with the Selective Service for a possible draft, there is no immediate draft taking place and registering the draft does not mean anyone is actually enlisted into the military.
As with all messages that try to elicit a feeling of fear or the need to take fast action, take a moment to review them carefully. If you are truly required to report for a draft, you will most certainly know it. Watch for other signs of phishing:
Typos and incorrect language and punctuation
Links or attachments you’re not expecting or are from unknown persons
Generic greetings
If you do click a link in such a message, close it right away and most certainly, don’t enter any information into any forms or documents. If you do this at work, contact your supervisor or someone from IT to get guidance on what to do next.
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