If you or someone you know are looking for college scholarships, beware. Not all offers are as they seem. We have heard from a number of consumers who have gotten taken advantage of by
E-mails, websites, or seminars that fail to deliver on their guarantee for a scholarship. If you are looking for college scholarships, here are a few things to keep in mind before paying or releasing any of your personal information.
• Watch out for e-mails, websites, or seminars that present limited information and ask you to pay a hefty fee in exchange for a guaranteed scholarship. Quite often, the only thing you will get for this fee is scholarship information that is readily available for free.
• Know who you are dealing with before you release your personal information. There are a number of e-mails and websites that will try to phish for your information that can be used to steal your money and identity.
• Be sure to complete a free application for federal student aid this can be a great resource for learning what is available from the federal government and may be required by those offering scholarships.
If you are unsure if the offer is legitimate, contact a college financial aid office, or a high school or college advisor. They can be a great resource for locating less publicized scholarships, and also for providing additional information about some of the scams or schemes that may be circulating at the time.