Hijacking Our Heroes: How Military Identities Are Exploited in Scams

When decorated service members are in uniform, their identities are guarded by institutions and programs that reduce risk. But when the uniform comes off, the protections fade — even though the threats do not.

Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Florent Groberg has experienced this reality firsthand. He told Military Times that scammers have impersonated him online more than 100 times, using his likeness to defraud unsuspecting victims. He and his family are regularly bombarded with messages from people asking if accounts are real, or worse, demanding to know why he is “asking them for money.”¹

This isn’t an isolated case. Retired officers, enlisted personnel, and veterans across the services are finding their names and images hijacked — then weaponized in fraud schemes.

The Scale of the Problem

During the years I ran the Digital Persona Protection Program (DP3), one trend was unmistakable: impersonations of senior officials increased every single year — at a staggering rate. What began as occasional fake accounts quickly evolved into systemic targeting, with adversaries exploiting photos, biographies, and digital personas at scale.

That growth has not slowed. FTC data shows impersonation scams are now four times more common than they were in 2020, and financial losses for older Americans have jumped from $55 million in 2020 to $445 million in 2024.³

Romance scams are one of the most common ways impersonated identities are used. A 2025 report by KeyT showed how “military romance scams” exploit trust by creating fake profiles using real service members’ names and photos, then spinning stories of remote deployments or emergencies to convince victims to send money.⁴

In some cases, the fallout reaches into organized fraud. In September 2025, federal investigators seized nearly $868,000 in cryptocurrency connected to a romance scam ring tied to Hawaii. One victim alone lost $1.3 million after being lured into what appeared to be a legitimate investment platform.⁵

The Fallout

When a service member’s identity is hijacked, the consequences ripple far beyond the individual:

• For victims of scams: Financial losses can be devastating, especially for seniors who are often targeted. Some never recover their savings.

• For impersonated service members: Reputations are dragged into fraud, credibility is questioned, and families endure a constant flood of emails, calls, and messages from confused strangers.

• For the community at large: Trust in the military, veterans, and public institutions erodes when criminals abuse those identities to defraud and deceive.

Closing the Protection Gap

Active-duty personnel benefit from monitoring and protective programs. But when they retire, they and their families are largely left to fend for themselves. This gap must be closed.

That means:

• Continuity of protection as part of the transition process.

• Statutory ownership of identity — so service members can enforce rights over their likeness, voice, and digital persona.

• AI-enabled defense to keep pace with AI-driven impersonation.

• Platform accountability, so social media companies share the burden instead of pushing it onto individuals and families.

Closing Thought

Capt. Groberg’s story is just one of many that serves as a warning: the threats don’t retire when service members do. Identities built on years of sacrifice and service are being hijacked and weaponized in scams that cost victims millions, while families shoulder the emotional and reputational fallout.

The message is simple: if you served, your identity has value — and adversaries know it. Protecting those who served is not optional. It is a moral obligation, and it is urgent.

This is the third article in my series on executive digital risk, OSINT, and the responsible integration of AI into cybersecurity. The next piece will examine deepfakes as the new executive threat — and why identity must be treated as property in U.S. law.

Sources

1. Military Times — “Medal of Honor recipient says he’s been spoofed by scammers over 100 times,” Feb. 15, 2022.

2. MSN (via FTC) — “Impersonation scams are now four times more common than in 2020,” 2024.

3. KeyT — “Romance scams roundup,” July 21, 2025.

4. Hoodline — “Feds target $868K in crypto from Hawaii-connected romance scam ring,” Sept. 2025.