The internet has opened the door for an assortment of new scams you may fall prey to. You can get scammed making a purchase online, posting an ad online, going to college online, and even applying for scholarships online. If you are planning to apply for scholarships in the near future, you may want to assess each application carefully. That is the only way you can avoid being the victim of a fake award. Here are some simple tips showing how to spot a scholarship scam.
Access Fees
You should never have to pay to apply for a scholarship. This is the same theory as paying for coupons or information about online classes. This is information that should be free to access at any time. Having to pay for it is a sign that you are being scammed.
Filed Credit Card
Some scholarships will ask you to put a credit card on file to secure your application, but those are usually scams designed to charge your card unexpectedly. Check out the fine print underneath the credit card request, and you will soon learn about the monthly fees and extra expenses you may be charged after your application. You shouldn’t need to provide anything more than your school and contact information.
Bank Information
If you are ever asked for your bank account information to win a scholarship, run the other direction. True scholarship providers will request an address or a school to send the money to, not a bank account. If you give out your account number for an application, you might as well expect some unauthorized charges to pop up.
Suspicious Phrasing
When it comes right down to it, most scholarship scams sound suspicious in their descriptions. The awards will seem too good to be true, and they will usually require you to do something that no other scholarships would. Read over each scholarship description with the same skepticism you would use for a used car ad. That will help you avoid getting scammed every time.
