COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Monday is Veterans Day, a time to reflect, remember, and remain vigilant.  "There are scams for everyone," Jon Miller Steiger, director of the East Central Region of the Federal Trade Commission, said.   While the federal holiday honors past and present service members, the FTC said it should also serve as a reminder that the military community is a frequent target for scammers.  According to the agency, veterans, military personnel and their spouses lost about $477 million to scams in 2023 -- a $63 million increase from the year before.   Civilian consumers also need to keep their guards up as we head into the holiday weekend, the FTC said, as fraudsters will often advertise fake deals and discounts, hoping to catch your eye and take your cash.   To spot a scam and ultimately avoid it, Steiger said all consumers should train themselves to recognize the Four Ps of scams.  "The first is that the scammer will pretend to be someone," Steiger said. "This could be a company offering a job, it could be the VA, a government agency. But they are reaching out, out of the blue. They offer some sort of prize, or they talk about a problem. Whatever they're talking about, they start to pressure you."  The FTC said the scammers will often encourage you to pay and pay quickly.   "They use a payment mechanism that's a little bit strange," Steiger said. "So, they'll ask you to pay with a gift card, or by a money wire."   Steiger said no legitimate organization operates that way.   "You should always, always, always, say, 'Thank you for telling me. Let me look into that,’ and then you stop the conversation," Steiger said. "Don't use the phone they gave you, don't use information that they gave you, go back to your own resources, and find the email or the telephone number, and follow up that way."   If any of that sounds like something you've experienced, report it to the FTC. That puts it on the agency's radar and alerts local law enforcement agencies of what's happening.