You may be searching and applying for several scholarship programs. In any case, you will never want to be a victim of scholarship scams. Desperate students and parents often fall prey to scams. However, you can save yourself if you are well aware of the warning signs. Given below are 10 warnings signs that signal a scam.
1. Fees
Remember, you never need to pay an upfront fee while applying for scholarships. So, if you are told to pay some fees for applying, you can keep from applying for such awards and do not get scammed. When it is about winning free money for college, you do not need to pay an upfront fee for applying.
2. Credit Card/ Bank Account Information Required
If some scholarship sponsors or committee asks you to furnish your credit card information or your bank account information, you should be careful and respond with a firm ‘no'. By providing such information, you can be a victim of a scam.
3. Scholarship Guarantee
Selecting scholarship winners is the sole decision of scholarship committees and judges. There is no one who can guarantee you free scholarship money. If someone says so, they want you to get into a scam. So, keep this in mind as a warning sign of a scam.
4. No Work Involved
Winning a scholarship or a financial aid requires time and sincere effort on your part. No one else can do this work for. You need to fill out the scholarship application yourself. If somebody says they will do all the work for you, this could be a scam.
5. No Contact Information
If you are in touch with a legitimate scholarship sponsor, they will definitely provide you with their complete contact information including mailing address, valid email address and phone number. If the scholarship provider does not have contact information, you should take it as a warning sign of a scholarship scam.
6. Unsolicited Scholarships
How do you like it when someone calls you to receive a scholarship award you never applied for? Be wary of such situations. This is most likely a scholarship scam.
7. Pressure Tactics
If you feel you are being pressurized to apply for a specific scholarship program, you should not give in to the pressure; this could be a scamming tactic. You may also be asked to pay some amount upfront. Do not ever give in to such pressure tactics while applying for financial aid and be alert not to fall prey to a scam.
8. Claims of ‘exclusive' Scholarships
There are scholarships and financial aid available for students of various backgrounds. No scholarship sponsor provides an exclusive scholarship. If some provider claims that the scholarship is exclusive and is available to no one else, they are a scam scholarship provider. So, be ready to detect the warning sign and not get scammed.
9. Scholarship Sponsor goes out of their Way to Sound Official
Before you apply for a specific scholarship award, it is essential to confirm the legitimacy of the scholarship sponsor. By using official sounding words like ‘federal', ‘education' and ‘national', scam sponsors try to fool you into thinking they are a legitimate scholarship provider. When in doubt, validate the legitimacy of the provider with school counseling and guidance center.
10. Your Questions aren't Answered Directly
Another sign of a scamming is that you do not get your questions answered directly. If you feel the provider is not giving a straight answer to your questions regarding the scholarship application form, what will be done with the information and other eligibility criteria, it could be a sign of a scholarship scam. You are advised to proceed with caution.
Remember, no one is ever going to fill out the application form for you and guarantee you a scholarship. You will win the free money on your own - through your own efforts, skills and abilities. So, never fall prey to a scam by acting in desperation. If you keep all the above mentioned warning signs in mind and proceed with caution, you will never be a victim of scholarship scams.
