If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Every year there are many scams that pop up designed to prey on students and families' insecurities about college admissions and funding. Use common sense to avoid being a victim.
Some common ploys that scams use include:
"Secret" or "Insider" Tips
Some scams use classic ploys, such as "You can't this information anywhere," and "Hidden secrets to getting in to your dream school (or finding thousands of dollars of unclaimed scholarships)."
Requests for Financial Information
Assume the worst if an unsolicited letter asks you to fill out a form, including your Social Security number, bank account, credit card, or other personal financial information. Don't give this information out! Often such requests are accompanied by news that you are a "finalist" or "winner" in a contest that you do not remember entering.
Fees or "Investments" Required for Loans or Scholarships
It's almost certainly a scam if a so-called scholarship, contest, or loan asks for money or an "application fee" or "processing fee." Legitimate scholarship organizations will not charge you to apply.
"Free Seminar"
You're invited to a free seminar or interview that turns out to be an expertly pitched sales job for "consulting," scholarship matching, or investment services.
"We do all the work."
There is not a scholarship, award, or college in the world that doesn't require some effort on the part of the student (or someone nominating the student for a scholarship or award).
Admissions Predictions Services
A newly popular--but bogus--business is offering to provide so-called "expert analysis" of your credentials in order to predict whether or not particular colleges will admit you. First, with many highly selective colleges, it is virtually impossible to make truly accurate admissions predictions, and even the most experienced college counselors and university admissions professionals will tell you that they can make educated projections, but not guarantees. Second, the information needed for assessing your chances or admission at a specific school is readily available, thanks to the many sources of admissions statistics online and in recent college guidebooks. See How College Decisions are Made for additional information.
Investigating Offers and Reporting Possible Fraud
To file a consumer complaint, you can use to the Consumer Sentinel, "a one-stop, secure investigative cybertool and complaint database...that...gives consumers a way to voice their complaints about fraud to law enforcement officials worldwide. The Consumer Sentinel database, maintained by the Federal Trade Commission, now contains more than 700,000 consumer fraud complaints that have been filed with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and private organizations."
For more information about whether a scholarship service is legitimate, check with the financial aid office at a college, call the National Fraud Information Center at (800) 876-7060, or visit The Better Business Bureau.
