Published June 27, 2016
The university would like to remind all students to be careful聽to avoid scholarship
scams and other forms of financial scams.
In addition to scams that you may encounter on the internet, there are many people
and groups聽posing as legitimate scholarship committees, foundations, lenders, scholarship
sponsors and so on. Scams are real. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.聽Be cautious when speaking
with anyone regarding university scholarship information. If you encounter an e-mail
or phone call that seems suspicious, please contact聽the 四色AV Office of Financial Aid
(318-342-5320) to verify聽the legitimacy聽of the source.聽
We have included below a helpful list of "10 scam warning signs." Please keep these
in mind as you deal with scholarship information, applications, e-mails, phone calls,
and online forms. Another helpful source of information may be found on the Federal
Trade Commission's (FTC) website聽.聽In the event that you feel you have fallen victim to a scholarship or financial
scam, you can file a complaint with the FTC at the bottom of that page (see "Report
Scams").
10 Scam Warning Signs
These quick tips can help you spot a scam.聽
Knowing these warning signs can keep you from being a scholarship scam victim.
- Fees:聽You shouldn鈥檛 have to pay to search for or apply for scholarships. Check out
the free scholarship search at聽.
- Credit card or bank account information needed:聽You should never have to give credit
card or bank account information to award providers.
- Scholarship guarantee:聽No one can guarantee that you鈥檒l win a scholarship because
no one can control scholarship judges鈥� decisions. Also, be wary of 鈥渉igh success rates鈥濃�攖hey
usually do not refer to actual award winners.
- No work involved:聽You can鈥檛 avoid putting in time to fill out a scholarship application.
- No contact information:聽Legitimate sponsors should provide contact information upon
request. If the sponsor does not supply a valid e-mail address, phone number and mailing
address (not a PO box) after you鈥檝e asked for one, that could the sign of a scam.
- Unsolicited scholarships:聽If you are called to receive an award for which you never
applied, be alert鈥攊t鈥檚 most likely a scam.
- Pressure tactics:聽Don鈥檛 allow yourself to be pressured into applying for a scholarship,
especially if the sponsor is asking for money up front.
- Claims of 鈥渆xclusive鈥� scholarships:聽Sponsors don鈥檛 make their scholarships available
through only one service.
- Sponsor goes out of their way to sound 鈥渙fficial鈥�:聽Scammers sometimes use official-sounding
words like 鈥渘ational,鈥� 鈥渆ducation鈥� or 鈥渇ederal鈥� or they display an official-looking
seal to fool you into thinking they are legit. Check with your school if you question
a scholarship provider鈥檚 legitimacy.
- Your questions aren鈥檛 answered directly:聽If you can鈥檛 get a straight answer from a
sponsor regarding their application, what will be done with your information or other
questions, proceed with caution.
(Source of '10 scams warning signs' article:聽http://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships/articles/the-10-scam-warning-signs)
