SCHOLARSHIP SCAMS

 

 

 

Scam Warning Signs

 

-          You have to pay a fee

-          Money-back guarantee

-          Credit card/bank account information required

-          Offers exclusive information

 

 

Common Scams

 

-          Phony scholarship – promises cash if you pay a registration fee

-          Phony scholarship matching service – pay a fee and they guarantee you will win scholarships

-          Phony educational loan – pay a fee and receive a low interest rate

-          Phony financial aid seminar – a high pressure, poorly concealed sales pitch

 

 

 

Reporting Scams

 

-          National Fraud Information Center (NFIC)

File an online complaint at www.fraud.org or call their toll-free line 1-800-876-7060

 

-          Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

File a complaint at www.ftc.gov and use the online consumer complaint form

Call 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357)

Write:  Federal Trade Commission

            CRC – 240

            600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

            Washington, DC  20580

 

 

-     State Attorney General’s Office

File your complaint with the Consumer Protection Division in your state

 

-          Better Business Bureau (BBB)

Report business fraud or ask for information about a company

Visit www.bbb.org.  (you must have an address for the questionable organization to file complaint

 

-          US Postal Inspection Service

File complaints involving mail fraud at www.usps.com/postalinspectors

Call the Postal Crime Hotline at 1-800-654-8896

Write     Inspection Service Support Group

              Attention:  Mail Fraud

              222 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 1250

              Chicago, IL  60606-6100