As students prepare to go back to school, so do scammers.
It’s incredible how much college costs, and with tuition rates, students often search for scholarships to bring in financial aid.
Because of this, rising college students and their parents are regularly the subjects of scam operations.
Jim Temmer, a Board Chair for the State of Wisconsin Better Business Bureau spoke on WCUB’s Breakfast Club on common depictions of fraud to look out for.
Temmer first explains scammers will pose as a government authority, he shares how to know if they are authentic.
“If they claim they’re from the government, and you’re on a website, it would end in dot g-o-v, all the sites,” he explained. “Or, if they claim it’s from a school it’s going to end in dot e-d-u. And that dot e-d-u goes all the way from grade school to high school and to colleges and stuff like that.”
He also explains that these swindlers will also pose as the student’s school, he shares what you should do if you are unsure about the credibility of the message.
“Go right to the college’s financial aid office or bursar’s office and ask them about your account,” Temmer suggested. “What they’re trying to do is get money from you or get information.
They may say ‘We need your student’s ID number or social security number, and all this stuff. So, be leery and careful about any of that and go right to the source.”
Finally, Temmer explains if you do get a check from a source, though you are able to take the money from it right away, it can take up to 2 weeks for the check to clear a bank.
So, he recommends waiting before spending or sending that money.
He concludes that if an individual is concerned about the credibility of a scholarship, they should ask their college or guidance counselor about it.
