Scholarship Scams

Scholarship Scams

How can you tell if a scholarship offer is a scam? The Federal Trade Commission says these claims that should raise a red flag.
1) "The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back" No one can guarantee to get you a grant or scholarship.
2) "You can’t get this information anywhere else." Scholarship search companies simply access databases that you can surf for free on the Internet.
3) "The scholarship will cost some money." Occasionally there may be a processing fee of $3 to $5 for legitimate scholarships but even this is rare. If you have to pay money to get money, it’s probably a scam.
4) "May I have your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship?" Never give out your credit card or bank account number.
5) "We’ll do all the work." You must apply for legitimate scholarships or grants yourself.
6) "You’re a finalist..." or "You’ve been selected to receive a scholarship" in contests you’ve never entered. A number of bogus search companies falsely claim they are foundations or nonprofit to make their offers look legit.


	Web site coordinators: Jamie Thompson Sandra McKinnon Site evaluation: Cynthia Crawford Last updated: March 09, 2005	Web site established by: Kate Akers Mark Belwood Cynthia Crawford Sandra McKinnon Diana Hammond

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