Caveat Emptor or Buyer Beware 5: If it Appears to Easy, It May be a Scam

Saturdays we share tips or cautions to facilitate getting scholarships or avoiding problems

Beth went to scholarship search engines and completed the profiles. Her results amazed her. One search engine indicated she qualified for more than 200 possible scholarships. Some of them seemed so easy as she began applying for them. Many of them asked only 3-5 questions, mostly about her contact information. When she completed the questions the site informed her that someone would contact her is she won the scholarship. Then, the sites instructed her to click on a link on the page if she was interested in another scholarship. She called us wondering about these quick and easy applications. She found her answer when she received 1,000s of spam messages in the next few weeks.

If Its Too Good to Be True…

This represents the newest variation on an old scam. These “scholarships” are really contests. They share some of the same characteristics as a lottery. The sponsor asks you to do some minor action to “qualify” for a certain amount of money. They announce winners as recipients. You complete whatever they ask, and you become one of the people who qualify for the award.

The purpose of these “easy” scholarship/contests is to gather your personal information and sell it to others.

A New Angle to an Old Scam

The new angle involves the link to another “scholarship”. These fishing expeditions net a lot of people in their deception. One contact, generates another, which links to another. Some of these patterns include 5-6 opportunities to gather you email address, name, and other information.

In addition, the very fine print (.00001 point font or invisible text color) gives them permission to use your information to send you additional information about schools, education, or other educational related promotions.

I need to clarify, however, that while I use words like deception or scam, what they do is legal. These companies really provide the awards they advertise. Someone always wins.

You need to decide if the consequences validates the chance of winning.

Tuesday we will review the scholarship search engine www.FindTuition.com