{"id":152,"date":"2007-09-19T10:14:23","date_gmt":"2007-09-19T10:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/financial-aid\/scholarships\/information-about-scholarship-scams\/"},"modified":"2019-10-04T14:56:12","modified_gmt":"2019-10-04T14:56:12","slug":"information-about-scholarship-scams","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/financial-aid\/scholarships\/information-about-scholarship-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"Scholarship Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"

10 Scam Warning Signs<\/strong>
\nThe following signs do not guarantee that a scholarship is a scam, though several signs could be an indication that you are dealing with a scam.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Fees:<\/strong> Scammers use bogus fees such as application, disbursement, redemption, and processing fees\u009d as a way to take your money. Scholarships should not require any fees. Check out the free search at www.fastweb.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  2. Credit card or bank account information needed:<\/strong> Never give credit card or bank account information to receive aid. If you do, call your bank or credit card issuer immediately.<\/li>\n
  3. Scholarship guarantee:<\/strong> No one controls judges decisions. Be wary of high success rates,\u009d which often refer to matches, not award winners.<\/li>\n
  4. No work involved:<\/strong> Legitimate scholarship applications require both time and energy.<\/li>\n
  5. No contact information:<\/strong> Before you apply, confirm the sponsor’s contact information. The sponsor should supply a valid e-mail address, phone number, or mailing address (not a PO Box) upon request.<\/li>\n
  6. Unsolicited scholarships:<\/strong> If you are called to receive an award for which you never applied, be alert. Ask where the sponsor got your name and number; check with that party.<\/li>\n
  7. Pressure tactics:<\/strong> Don’t allow yourself to be pressured into applying for a scholarship, especially if the sponsor is asking you to pay money up front.<\/li>\n
  8. Claims of exclusive\u009d scholarships:<\/strong> Legitimate sponsors won’t restrict knowledge about their award to a single search service.<\/li>\n
  9. An official-sounding name or endorsement doesn’t automatically mean legitimacy:<\/strong> A sponsor may use words like national, education, or federal\u009d or have an official-looking seal, but might still be a scammer. Also, the federal government and the U.S. Department of Education do not endorse private businesses.<\/li>\n
  10. Your questions aren’t answered directly:<\/strong> Can’t get a straight answer from a sponsor regarding their application, what will be done with your information (e.g., if it will be sent to a third party) or other questions? Proceed with caution.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Suspect a Scam?<\/strong>
    \nIf you think you may be dealing with a scammer, follow the directions below:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Save all forms you receive from the suspected scammer. Keep copies of written details about the offer and any correspondence, e-mails, or other paperwork. Make sure all materials are dated.<\/li>\n
    2. Take notes during any seminar or phone conversations. Record the date, time, phone number, and the person’s name with whom you spoke. Also include a detailed account of your conversation.<\/li>\n
    3. Report the suspected scammer to local law enforcement, your financial aid office, and any of the following organizations:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n

      Federal Trade Commission (FTC)<\/strong><\/a>
      \nFill out an online complaint form or call toll-free:
      \nPh: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357)
      \n       National Fraud Information Center (NFIC)<\/strong><\/a>
      \nPh: 1-800-876-7060
      \n       Better Business Bureau (BBB)<\/strong><\/a>
      \nBe sure to have the address of the company about whom you are filing the complaint.
      \nPh: 1-703-276-0100
      \n       United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)<\/strong><\/a>
      \nPh: 1-800-654-8896<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

      Information Provided by FastWeb.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      10 Scam Warning Signs The following signs do not guarantee that a scholarship is a scam, though several signs could be an indication that you are dealing with a scam. Fees: Scammers use bogus fees such as application, disbursement, redemption, and processing fees\u009d as a way to take your money. Scholarships should not require any […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":45,"menu_order":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-152","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nScholarship Scams - Financial Aid<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/financial-aid\/scholarships\/information-about-scholarship-scams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scholarship Scams - Financial Aid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"10 Scam Warning Signs The following signs do not guarantee that a scholarship is a scam, though several signs could be an indication that you are dealing with a scam. 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