GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – It’s the time of year where students and their parents are searching far and wide for information on scholarships, but it’s important to know whether offers for big money are real.
For students struggling to pay tuition, a sudden offer of a grant or scholarship can look like a dream come true. But it could be bait for a scam. This con hooks victims with the promise of money, but upfront “fees” never actually materialize into those much-needed funds.
“We really want to caution people not to pay for things that they can get for free,” said Susan Bach with the Better Business Bureau. “The best place to start for financial aid option would be with your school counselor and then online at the website, StudentAid.gov…You really should avoid paying for any kind of financial aid or scholarship advice until you’ve [tried] those resources first.”
In a more recent twist, these scammers claim to help with student loan forgiveness.
Better Business Bureau (BBB) recommends caution when dealing with companies that offer assistance in finding financial aid opportunities. Students and their families should be wary of websites, seminars, or other schemes that promise to find scholarships, grants, or financial aid packages for a fee.
“If you get some kind of offer or information that you find, ask your guidance counselor or your college financial aid office to see if that is a legitimate company,” Bach told WTAQ News. “Also do some research online you may find some information on BBB.org to see if it is a legitimate company or find any other complaints.”
Beware of unsolicited offers. Typically, it’s not possible to win a scholarship or grant that wasn’t applied for. Ask how the organization got your name, information, contact, and then verify it with the source outside of the email, phone number or website they contacted you.
“You want to ask a representative directly if they can give you the names of families in your community who have used our services in the last year and have had success,” Bach said. “If you didn’t apply for this particular scholarship or grant, there’s really no way that you could have won. So keep that in mind as well that it’s probably a scam.”
You can learn more about how the scam works, and what it could look like, at BBB.org.
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