23 Warning Signs of Scholarship Scams (Part 1)

Scholarship scams are a lot of to common on the net. several students applying for scholarships get ripped off once a year by pretend scholarships. Using these twenty-three tips, however, attentive students ought to be ready to avoid losing cash.

1. No Telephone Number – One common characteristic of scholarship scams is that the lack of phone numbers. whereas they will have a email, scams rarely embrace a phone number – it is way too simply traced.
2. No Proof of Past Winners – If there's not record of anyone having ever won the scholarship, the “scholarship” is also a scam.  However, this is often not invariably the case.  New scholarships, obviously, haven't had previous winners.  Therefore, don't ignore a scholarship primarily based on this alone, however if you see different warning signs additionally to this – be cautious.
3. Claim of Influence with Sponsors – This trick is commonly employed by scholarship search scams.  No scholarship search has ever been recognize to own influence with scholarship sponsors.  If, in some strange circumstance, they extremely do have influence, then possibly the scholarship they need influence with is another scam run by one in every of their friends.  Avoid scholarship searches that claim influence with sponsors.
4. Application Fees – Some scholarship scams build cash by charging an “application fee”.  Never participate in an exceedingly scholarship that charges a fee to use.  Most of those scams charge $10 – $20, however some charge as low as $2 or as high as $5,000. they could try and convince you that they charge in order that they solely get serious candidates. don't believe them. keep aloof from any scholarships that need cash to urge cash.
5. Notification by Phone – True scholarships normally notify the winners by mail.  If, therefore, you get a decision telling you that you just have “won” a scholarship, be terribly careful. raise them for his or her name and variety and tell them that you just can decision back.  Next, visit the scholarship’s official web site and speak to the sponsors. raise them to verify that the name and phone variety of the one who known as you're those of 1 of their representatives.  If the caller was legitimate, decision them back.  Using this methodology ought to stop scammers from obtaining your personal info.
6. Exceptional Endorsement Claims – Beware of false endorsement claims.  If a scholarship claims to be sponsored by the higher Business Bureau or some specific school or university, investigate their claims. decision the organization and raise if they extremely did endorse the scholarship fund.  If a scholarship claims to be sponsored by a government cluster, be even additional cautious.  The US Department of Education, US Chamber of Commerce, and therefore the centralized don't endorse any non-public organizations.
7. Abusive Treatment – If the supposed scholarship sponsor becomes angry or abusive after you raise queries, the scholarship is perhaps a scam.  Be terribly cautious.
8. “First Come, First Served” – In order to urge individuals to use quickly and while not time to think about, some scholarship scams say that the scholarships are given on a rolling basis.  Few, if any, legitimate scholarships provide preference to the primary candidates.  Take time to research all questionable scholarships before applying.
9. “Guaranteed to Win” – This normally applies to scholarship searches.  If a payed scholarship search guarantees that you just can win, begin yearning for the fine print.  Either, one, the corporate could be a scam, or 2 there's an entire heap of fine print. 2 scholarship searches that i like to recommend are quick net (My favorite) and school Board.
10. A Florida or California Address - for a few reason, Florida and California addresses are seen by the general public as additional legitimate.  Therefore, several scholarship scams use Florida or California addresses.  Of course, some scholarship scams produce other addresses, and a few true scholarships do have Florida or California addresses.

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