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Common Online
Frauds & Scams
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Scholarships
- Beware of
emails offering scholarship assistance. Many unsolicited
emails are fraudulent.
- Beware of scholarship
guarantees by search services. No search service can control
the decisions of scholarship sponsors. Also, get all the details. A search
service should be willing to give you a detailed explanation of
exactly how it works and how much it costs.
- Beware whom
you’re dealing with. It may be a search company that is
offering to help locate scholarships for which you may be
eligible, rather than a foundation that actually awards
scholarships. Most foundations don’t charge a fee to apply
for a scholarship; if they do, it is very small. Scholarship
search companies always charge for their services.
- Beware of
the refund policy. The company should explain upfront whether
you can get your money back if you don’t receive a
scholarship and what you have to do to qualify for a refund. Some
fraudulent search services set difficult requirements, such as
obtaining letters of rejection from each scholarship listing, to
make it virtually impossible to get a refund.
- Do your own scholarship search. A
search service may provide information that is outdated or
doesn’t apply to you. You may be better off finding
scholarships yourself. Ask your high school guidance counselor and
college financial aid offices for help. Another good source of
information is College Parents of America, 703-761-6702 or www.collegeparents.org.
Information on this website is provided by Chris Triolo, additional
information on internet Frauds and Scams can be found at www.FBI.gov or www.nclnet.org
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