CLEVELAND, Ohio – Tuition, financial aid, and rent all have a significant financial impact on students when they begin college.
Scammers follow the money.
When college students are duped, higher education becomes high-risk. There is a great deal of money at stake.
There are currently financial aid scammers attempting to obtain students’ personal information via FAFSA forms, which are free federal student assistance applications.
According to Sammi Nachtigal of the Federal Trade Commission, scammers charge money to fill out paperwork and promise better results.
“So, not only are you paying a scammer for something you could do for free, but you also have no idea what they would put on that application. If they lie about their holdings and everything on that form, they might face $20,000 in fines and possibly jail time, according to Nachtigal.
Scholarship scams also exist, asking fees for preapprovals and claiming to guarantee a scholarship.
Scammers are now conducting scholarship workshops that function similarly to high-pressure time-sharing sessions.
According to Nachtigal, if your phone calls and the person on the other end of the line claims you have outstanding tuition that must be paid over the phone right away or you will be dropped from school, do not fall for it.
“That is not how universities work, not in a reputable university. They will not expel you from class like that. So, take a moment to understand the processes for ‘How am I expected to pay? Where am I supposed to go for that? So when anything unusual happens, you can notice something suspicious,” Nachtigal explained.
She advises you not to click on the links they send you, but rather go to your school’s website or physical office to find out if you owe anything and how to pay safely.
Also, stay away from diploma mills. “This is a fraud in which they promise to acquire your degree quickly or with no coursework, just your life experience. That cannot be true. Work is required for real, respectable degrees. They demand a commitment of your time, energy, and money. So don’t be persuaded to pay for something that will result in a degree that has no real value,” warned Nachtigal.
Just because a site address ends in ‘edu’ does not imply that it is an accredited school.
The Department of Education’s College Navigator website can assist students in steering the proper route and avoiding an expensive lesson.