Military Discount Fraud Warning

B

Bubbanumber1

Joined
Nov 28, 2005
Messages
293
It was brought to my attention that there have been a number of people asking knife makers for Military Discounts. Certainly some of these are legitimate military people seeking out a well deserved discount but others are just scumbags trying to beat the system and that's something that is intolerable for me to just sit back and watch.

I thought some of the knife makers here on Blade Forums would find it helpful for me to point out some simple ways to tell legitimate military from frauds so here goes.

#1. Military E-Mail Adresses, that is a .mil address. The Army and military across the board uses this address which will be a name such as mike smith listed like this,,,,,,,,,

All military and family members are eligible for these addresses and they are set aside with individuals names in advance before they even ask for them so there is no excuse that one does not have one or cannot use one for contact.



#2. Delivery and correspondence through the Military Postal Service Agency (MPSA). There are two basic postal delivery codes for all military. Those are APO and FPO and every individual claiming military should be receiving their military discounted purchase through one of these delivery systems.

* Army Post Office (APO) - for U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force postal facilities
* Fleet Post Office (FPO) - for U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard postal facilities

Sample

PFC Mike Smith
CMR 345, Box 12334
APO AE 09250​

Its a given that if a individual has been confirmed by you as military that you can then deliver to any address as they may be on leave or have off post mail that works better for them. If anyone is contacted and asked for a military discount it is also reasonable to refuse to deliver a discounted knife to anything but APO and FPO addresses.



#3 Military ID Confirmation. Its reasonable to ask for a copy of ones military ID minus Social Security Number aka Service Number. This is fairly common but not always the best way to confirm as some people will still have a old ID even if they received a Dishonorable Discharge. If they are no longer military they will not be elgible for either the Military Mail or Military Email so I find them to be a better confirmation without doing a background check.




Warning signs and after action reports,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

#1. Being contacted by anyone asking for a military discount who seems in some kind of hurry. This should raise a warning but may prove to be legit people after you look into it.

#2. Excuses, people making excuses as to why they do not or cannot confirm they are military. Anyone who claims to be in a secret location or have secret clearance and therefore cannot give you information your asking for to confirm military status is most likely bullshitting. Even Special Forces and Navy Seals have business cards with basic information on them which they pass to new friends and business contacts. While there are certainly security issues with all military the simple purchase of knives is not a issue.

#3. Multiple Purchases, Recently a friend was contacted by a guy wanting multiple purchases including military discounts. Most likely this was a small time or eBay dealer seeking to use either his correct or false military status to profit financially off my friends good will towards the military, not a active military individual seeking multiple knives to use in the field.

#4. If something just does not seem correct seek out detailed confirmation.

#5. If you feel you have been ripped off by anyone claiming to be military contact me and I will look into it and forward any relevant information on to the FBI as this is a very serious matter.
 
- Your right on the .mil email, everyone should have one.

- On APO and FPO street addresses, those are only for overseas posts and bases, they arent used in the US. Also, not everyone can live on a base because they rarely have enough housing. I only lived in base housing for 5 of my 21 years in the service, the rest was on the economy. Also, National Guard and Reservists wont be living on a base, so they will all have civilian street addresses.

- ID card: best proof of service, and the new ones have the SSN on the back, so you can ask for a copy of the front.

Bottom line is nobody should be asking for or demanding a military discount. I wouldnt give a discount for a non-tactical type knife that isnt something they will use for military purposes. God bless any knife maker that wants to do something good for our servicemen, but serving your country is an honor, not an excuse to act like a damned charity case.
 
As an Air Force member I can tell you that none of my E mail addy's have the whole title US Airforce in it. You would be looking for something with a base name, then ".af.mil.".
 
Good thread and a big "Thank You" to all the knife makers who offer discounts to Military. Of the advice you offered, the ID card is the best method. As stated earlier, the SSN is on the back now, so sending a copy of the front is safe for both parties. I don't use my ".mil" email much at all. Some people may, but if you travel a lot and are not set up with a reach back portal it is not going to be the best choice for you. APO/FPO is good for overseas, so if someone is claiming to be deployed that will probably work. I've been in for a while, and only use APO/FPO when overseas. Any Base housing I've lived in still had a regular address, not something that identified the base I was stationed at.

I'm always in a hurry! So, please don't let that one DQ anyone! I know when I bought my first "Good" knife it was right before a deployment. I, along with most everyone I know, tend to buy "Luxury" items like a $300 knife when I can justify it with "But, I really need it now!" .

Best advice in my opinion was trusting your gut! If it doesn't seem right you can always ask around here as well.

I hate it when people take advantage of generous folks with false claims, so thanks for this thread. And again, thank to those who do the military discounts. Your display of patriotism often means more to the service member than the discount itself.
 
I have almost never lived on post, since I am not fond of on post housing!

The AKO email address's for US Army US.Army.Mil

I have to agree, I was in a rush before my deployment to Iraq. Only time I could honestly see anybody asking for a military discount was if they where trying to make a large group purchase and used a Government Impact Credit Card which is non-taxable so it should come with a tax code for your records (I can't remember all the details since my supply guys handled most of that stuff).
My opinion is that soldiers should not be asking for a discount, if one is offered for the military that is appreciated but to ask or demand it in my opinion is rude. Knife makers work for a living just like we do!!

This is just my opinion as a soldier!
 
Nothing in the military moves without paper. Everyone has orders
to be, or go somewhere. Just ask for a copy of their current orders,
and copy of their ID. They can mark through SSNs.

Another solution is to make certain models ONLY for military personnel,
and have only one price. Don't even show/advertise them. (word WILL get
around).
 
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