It’s not unusual to find scholarship search services and financial aid counseling services online these days. With more and more people using the Internet every day to find just about anything they need, these agencies have taken advantage of the World Wide Web to provide information and advice about their service. As noble as their service may seem, many of these nonprofits often include high fees for the services they offer, though they may be available for free, if you know where to look. They can even be avenues for identity theft where your personal information can be accessed.
Business are business. Charging fees for certain services is not made illegal by law. The only thing that makes these businesses illegal is when they charge and collect money from their customers but never provide the information they promised to give. There are also cases where these companies pose as legal government agencies to appear more credible and attract more customers. They often promise their clients, mostly college students, that they will find them full college funding, but never or rarely do.
Of course, there are serious companies that provide genuine services and it would not hurt if they charged fees for their services. However, if you want to save some money, you may want to read on to learn how you can protect yourself from identity theft while looking to finance your school.
When you try to search the web for scholarships on the Internet and stumble upon a site that asks for your credit card number or any other form of payment, stay away. These are sites that ask for payment and then promise to help you find funds. It may be a scholarship scam and you may want to keep looking. Also beware of phone calls you may receive from people inviting your parents to an interview or seminar on preparing for and paying for college. Try hard enough and do your homework. It would be very helpful if you do some research on these organizations so that you can verify whether these statements are true or not. You can ask your high school counselor or financial aid administrator if they have heard of this particular company and whether or not it is legitimate. Often these are seminars that will only lead to asking your parents to pay for tips on how to fund college.
There are many things that can happen if you fall victim to scholarship scams. For one thing, you’ll risk exposing your identity, which can lead to identity theft. These agencies often ask for your credit card and social security number. This is highly sensitive information that can lead to identity theft when misused. You should screen each agency you deal with before disbursing your cash payments to ensure that you are only dealing with legitimate businesses and that your identity will never be compromised.