Standing Up for Those Who Have Served
Veterans and military servicemembers and their families are much more likely than civilians to be targeted by fraudsters. See how we work to protect them.
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In a 2025 AARP Survey, 78 percent of active duty servicemembers and veterans surveyed were worried about targeted scams and fraud. According to Operation Family Fund, a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to helping injured servicemembers and their families, veterans can be viewed as easy targets by scammers due to the assumption that they have a strong sense of giving back to fellow veterans and tend to be more trusting of people claiming military connections. This has led to fake veteran charities or causes being among the highest reported scams by veteran victims. They also have guaranteed income streams through benefits and pensions, so they may be targeted for pension and disability theft.
DFPI Veteran and Military Servicemember Resources
The DFPI is committed to ensuring California’s 1.8 million veterans and their families have access to trusted financial education, protection, and resources.
- Financial Education – We offer a wide range of resources dedicated to protecting our California servicemembers and veterans on our Consumer Financial Education for Military and Veterans webpage. Throughout the year, we host educational presentations and financial resource tables across California. Check out our Events Calendar for military and veterans-related webinars and in-person events in your area.
- Employment Recruitment – We’re proud to hire veterans and former military servicemembers. We host employment recruitment tables at both military and university campus career fairs throughout California. Our team supports our California-transitioning servicemembers and veterans with information and insight on how to land a state job, and especially, how to join the DFPI team.
- CalVet Partnership – We partner with the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) to share information and resources to veterans and their families. CalVet helps veterans learn about and secure state and federal benefits, including home loans, education fee waivers, specialized healthcare in veterans’ homes, and legal advocacy, serving as a state-level counterpart to the federal VA.
- Small Business Support – Not all veterans and transitioning servicemembers want to pursue employment after their service. If your dream is to be your own boss and start your own business, the DFPI can help. For more information on starting a business, visit our Consumer Financial Education: Small Business webpage. We also have a guide on how to raise capital for small businesses.
Additional Resources
The following state and federal resources offer specialized services and benefits to military servicemembers and veterans and their families:
- VA Benefits/Disability Compensation – The most important step in transitioning to civilian life is understanding and managing your VA benefits. For assistance with paperwork or any questions you may have, VA.gov is your best resource for healthcare and disability compensation information.
- Stand Down Events – Stand Downs are 1 to 3-day events providing supplies and services to homeless Veterans, such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings, and VA Social Security benefits counseling. Veterans can also receive referrals to other assistance such as healthcare, housing solutions, employment, substance use treatment, and mental health counseling. They are collaborative events, coordinated by local VA Medical Centers, U.S. Department of Labor, and other government agencies and community-based homeless service providers. For stand down events in your area, visit the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Stand Down Events Calendar.
- Career Fairs – Most military bases in California host career fairs and offer career development and financial literacy educational courses to active and transitioning servicemembers and veterans. Find resources at a military facility in your area, such as Camp Pendleton U.S. Marine Corps Base, Travis Air Force Base, or Fort Irwin U.S. Army National Training Center.
- State of California Veterans’ Preference Program – The State of California offers a Veterans’ Preference employment assistance program to veterans, veteran widows and widowers, and spouses of disabled veterans who are seeking employment with the State of California. The program is also extended to currently serving military members nearing their retirement or separation date.
- Department of Real Estate Military Assistance – The California Department of Real Estate offers several options for veterans, active-duty servicemembers, and the spouses of active-duty servicemembers to work in California’s licensed real estate profession. That assistance includes expedited processing of license applications and, in some cases, portability of a license from another state, district, or territory.
- VA Office of Inspector General – If you have experienced issues related to your veterans’ benefits or believe you have been the victim of a veteran-related scam or fraud, the VA Office of Inspector General conducts independent oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs. It investigates a wide range of financial crimes from threats against VA personnel and property to actions associated with patient harm. For more information about trending scams and fraud related to veterans and the military or to file a complaint, visit their Fraud and Crime Alerts Webpage.
Our DFPI Team member
Meet our team member, William Burgos, who transitioned from the Air Force to DFPI. His story highlights veterans’ unique contributions and skills to our community, enriching our work with dedication and precision.
My name is William Burgos, and I am a Staff Services Analyst in DFPI’s Mortgage Loan Originator division. I specialize in assisting mortgage lenders, servicers, and professionals with their DFPI license applications and renewals. I am often the first contact a licensee has with the DFPI, walking them through the application process and making any needed amendments along the way. As a natural extrovert, I enjoy interacting with all types of people from all over. I take pride in helping them attain their business goals through licensing and certification. I’m also of Puerto Rican heritage, so I can assist callers in Spanish if needed.
In the U.S. Air Force, I served as an Airman stationed mainly at Beale Air Force Base in Marysville, California. There I worked as a mechanic servicing U2 spy planes and Global Hawk unmanned aircraft. During my tenure, I was temporarily stationed overseas in Abu Dhabi, UAE; Ramstein, Germany; and Lakenheath, England. After leaving the Air Force in 2018, I took advantage of the Post 9-11 GI Bill that paid in full my four years of college. I was also an honors student (3.5 GPA) which qualified me for an additional standard of living stipend, so I graduated with no student loan debt! I hold a B.A. in Communications from San Francisco State University.
I believe my military training directly translated to the work I do with the DFPI. Primarily because it taught me to pay close attention to detail, especially when reading technical maintenance manuals, where one small error could cost the life of a pilot. In my work at the DFPI, one small documentation mistake might prevent or delay a home sale. It also taught me how to work with and communicate with teams from all over the U.S., Europe, and Australia, which comes in handy every day at the DFPI. I am also a strong believer in upholding public trust. The Air Force core values are “integrity, service before self, and excellence in everything you do,” which I strive to live by. I strongly support DFPI’s commitment to do right by consumers. It’s a mission that dovetails with my Air Force values.
My advice for veterans and transitioning military servicemembers would be to not worry about how your military skills will transfer. I am fortunate to have great supervision and diversity and inclusion on my team. Everyone has been so helpful, answering questions and offering mentorship. I feel very welcome here.
Although I’m a native of The Bronx, New York, I have settled in the Sacramento area with my wife, Rina, a Sacramento native who also works in state service, and our two cats Savannah and Sasha. We love to travel and are planning a trip to Europe this summer. Recently, we were able to use a VA Home Loan to buy our first home with 0% down.