How to avoid scams scholarships
1. Use a search site reputable scholarship. Stalking scholarships and grants that you qualify for can be an exhausting process, but fortunately there are several good resources out there that you can trust to provide legitimate opportunities. Fastweb is probably one of the scholarship search engines of the best known studies there, and it provides information on the financial assistance of all kinds. It has strict policies in place to help ensure the scholarship students apply through the website are not scams. College Board is another resource trustworthy - which is the body that governs the administration and scoring of the SAT - where students and parents can use to search for scholarships and grants. Finally, the Ministry of Education of the United States has set up its own information site to help guide students and parents through to find help.
Whatever site you choose to use to search for scholarships and grants, remember that the same basic principles used to determine the legitimacy of any website apply: make sure that the URL match what the website says, look for "https" in the web address and be wary of clicking on links that can take you from a legitimate website to an unprotected.
2. Beware of prices that you have not asked -. Or money guarantees Any student who requires several scholarships and grants can expect to be inundated with letters and emails, but it is important to pay attention to each and inspect carefully. If you receive a notification that you have won a scholarship or grant that you do not ask in the first place, chances are it is a scam. In addition, any organization or source exchange that ensures you make money is likely to not tell the truth - after all, scholarships are competitive, which means anyone who has actually given anyone who has requested money would go bankrupt pretty quickly. These types of promises are usually a trick to lure potential victims of fraud.
3. Never give your private information or pay a fee. Some scams scholarships will attract victims by promising them get a certain amount of money or to give them access to special occasions in exchange for a fee. This is definitely a scam, because student aid information is available all over the web. If you are directed to a paid site when you try to apply for a scholarship, leave the site immediately and report the scam to the source site (if you have found a legitimate scholarship search site as Fastweb). Some scammers operate by presenting financial aid seminars where they use high pressure tactics to try to persuade students and parents to pay money in exchange for information - do not fall for it! It is also important to remember that scholarship applications should never require confidential information such as your bank account number or social security details.
What should I do if I think I found a scam?
If you have doubts that a scholarship or grant is a scam, your best bet is to get all the information you can and report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC has a website set up that allows people to easily report scams they encounter, and there is also a phone number you can call. Also, you can talk to your high school or college financial aid department for help to determine if the source of a scholarship or grant is a legitimate organization, rather than a crook.
What if I am a victim of a grant scam?
Worried that you have already been scammed? Depending on the nature of the scam, again, the FTC is a great resource - as well as your bank, if you pay a fee or provide account information, and the police. The key to remember when applying for financial aid is that anything that seems too good to be true almost always. Higher education is, unfortunately, expensive, and it is understandable that many students and their parents would do anything to find a loophole or earn as much money as possible. However, this is no reason to get carried away and lose sight of reality.
For more information to avoid all sorts of scams, follow our blog on the subject.