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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 6, 2025 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: college ( 18 ), college admission, rental scam ( 90 ), Scams ( 1,553 ), scholarship scam ( 2 )   

  Student Aid and Housing Scams Surge 

  

  By Greg Collier

  August marks the beginning of scholarship application season for many students, but it also signals an increase in scams targeting those seeking financial aid. Fraudulent offers often arrive through email, social media, or phone calls, claiming to represent government agencies, universities, or nonprofit organizations. In some cases, students are told they have been awarded a scholarship or grant they never applied for but must pay a processing or application fee before receiving the funds. These offers may use official-sounding names and professional-looking websites to appear legitimate. One recently reported case involved a website designed to mimic the official federal financial aid portal but that requested credit card information to complete an application. The official application process for federal student aid never requires payment.

  Similar schemes can be found in the housing market as students prepare for the fall semester. Rental scams are particularly common among younger renters and can be costly. Fraudulent listings often use copied photos and descriptions from legitimate advertisements, replacing the real contact information with that of the scammer. Victims are typically asked to send a deposit and the first month’s rent before seeing the property in person, sometimes with the explanation that the owner is out of town. In other cases, the property in question may actually be for sale rather than for rent. Payments are frequently requested through non-secure methods such as wire transfers or gift cards, which make recovery of lost funds nearly impossible.

  Both scholarship and rental scams exploit the urgency and financial pressure that students face at the start of the academic year. While the specific methods vary, the underlying strategy remains the same. Scammers create a false sense of opportunity, push for quick action, and request money in advance. Students can reduce their risk by taking time to verify any offers or listings through official channels, avoiding any that request payment before services are rendered, and seeking assistance from school guidance counselors or financial aid offices.

  Conducting a reverse image search on rental photos can help determine whether the images were taken from another listing, and running a web search on the rental property’s address can reveal conflicting or suspicious information. For scholarship opportunities, contacting the sponsoring organization directly and confirming details on its official website can help ensure that the offer is legitimate. Careful research and skepticism can make a significant difference in avoiding financial losses at a time when resources are already stretched thin.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on March 13, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: ACT ( 2 ), college admission, impersonation scam ( 182 ), SAT ( 2 ), Scams ( 1,553 )   

  The latest SAT and ACT exam scam targeting parents 

  

  By Greg Collier

  In the whirlwind of college preparation, parents often find themselves navigating a maze of opportunities, challenges, and, unfortunately, scams. A recent scheme targeting parents of SAT and ACT exam takers has emerged, shaking the trust in the system and leaving families wary of whom to believe.

  The scam, which preys on the desire for educational advancement, begins with an unsuspecting phone call. On the other end of the line is a person claiming affiliation with the College Board, the institution responsible for overseeing these crucial standardized tests. They come bearing what seems like good news: the offer of a free prep course for the child.

  Innocently, parents confirm their address under the guise of receiving materials their child supposedly requested at school. However, here’s where the plot thickens – according to the Better Business Bureau, there are no materials, and there is no course. The promised resources never materialize, leaving families feeling duped and out of pocket. According to the Better Business Bureau, parents, on average, have been charged $130, with some cases reaching as high as $600. It’s a costly lesson in discernment and vigilance.

  But amidst the confusion, there are guiding principles to safeguard against such scams. The Better Business Bureau emphasizes that the College Board never solicits bank account or credit card information over the phone or via email. Additionally, they urge individuals to verify the legitimacy of any company through their official website, a simple yet effective measure to thwart imposters.

  Moreover, a crucial red flag emerges. Unsolicited calls requesting personal information should raise immediate suspicion, regardless of the story spun by the caller. It’s a fundamental rule of thumb in today’s digital age, where scams lurk behind every corner of our interconnected world.

  For parents, arming their children with knowledge becomes paramount. Experts advise that if an opportunity sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Educating young minds about the pitfalls of deceptive schemes empowers them to make informed decisions, safeguarding against potential exploitation. The pursuit of educational excellence should never come at the cost of falling victim to deceitful tactics.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 1, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: ACT ( 2 ), college admission, identity theft ( 124 ), SAT ( 2 ), Scams ( 1,553 )   

  College test scammers are targeting kids 

  

  By Greg Collier

  If you have a child who’s getting ready for college, you’re probably aware of the ACT and SAT tests. These are the standardized tests most colleges and universities use in their application process. With these tests come a lot of preparation and an enormous amount of pressure for the students getting ready to take them. This is what could potentially make them the perfect targets for scammers.

  The Better Business Bureau is warning parents to be aware of scammers posing as the companies who run the ACT and the SAT. They are two separate companies, in case you weren’t aware of that. A mother in Ohio recently received a phone call from someone asking for her daughter, who’s already been accepted to a university. The caller said they were from the ACT and asked for the daughter by name. They tried to convince the mother that her daughter had requested study materials and needed to verify her information. Since the daughter had already been accepted to a school, the mother knew this was a scam. However, some parents and students alike may not be aware of such scams.

  Minors are often the targets of identity thieves. If these thieves get a hold of enough information on a child, they can use that information in a few years to open lines of credit in the minor’s name. This means the child could have a ruined credit history as soon as they turn 18.

  If you’re a parent and receive any communications from someone claiming to be from the ACT or SAT, verify that information before replying to them. If they ask for one of your children by name, and they’re not actually with the ACT or SAT, you may want to run a credit report on your child to make sure their identity hasn’t already been stolen. If it has, you’ll want to put a credit freeze on your child’s credit.

  Also keep in mind that the two tests are run by two separate companies. Anyone who is claiming to represent both, is more than likely a scammer.