How To Identify Scholarship Scams And Tricks

This section provides certain signs, ways and means on how to avoid scholarship scams and tricks, there are a different variety of scholarship scams available for innocent students looking for means of support to further their education, which could lead them to the beast of prey. It may not be easy to identify them, but the earliest way to detect is that you should never be asked for money or any financial detail in order to apply for a scholarship or to receive one.

Tips On How To Identify Scholarship Scams

Many thieves are out there looking to profit from those who are seeking money for education here are the warning signs below;

1. Pay this amount: The means to identify scholarship scams is to remember that the money flows to the student, and not from students. Genuine and reputable scholarships are free to apply for and it should not require any flow of money out from you . If you come across a scholarship that charges you to apply, it’s likely a scam. Beware of any “scholarship” that requests an application fee, even as low as N5,000 or even Rechargeable Cards or innocuously low one like $10 or $20 or most especially application submissions that can be undertaken free of charge, as most legitimate scholarship sponsors do not require application fee for any reason.

2. Its Guaranteed or we refund: This is the funniest and the easiest means of knowing its a scam, because nobody can guarantee a scholarship and this can be so tempting.  If you are worthy and  you will certainly get it. Shady companies may promise you  a scholarship, but that guarantee may never come and that’s the red flag that warns you to flee. Such guarantees are counting the federal student aid programs and probably private student loan programs, for which people are eligible to get it.

3. Exclusive Rights: There is a general belief that exclusive things are of higher quality, as such this is another way thieves and fraudulent individuals operate, they trick you by offering “exclusive” scholarships you can’t find anywhere else. No one has exculsive access to scholarship information. All information about scholarships can be freely found online. Anyone who claims to have access to a secret database is lying and is likely going to charge you for the “exclusive” information. or individuals  never actually provide any information at all,  they just take money and then are gone.

4. You win a Scholarship that you did not apply for: These are actually what most of us are actually facing as we speak, we have been sent text messages that we’ve won scholarships,grants and even loan we have no clue about and hence these are fraudulent people at work. You cannot win a scholarship or anything you did not apply for.

5. Request for personal information: Couple of days back i received a text requesting me to send my Bank Verification Number (BVN) from a certain teller of a bank i do not have an account with, these are the extent fraudulent  people would go.  If a scholarship application is asking for more details such as bank account numbers, pin numbers and the answers to security questions, it could be a scam. This information will never be requested by legitimate scholarship opportunities.

6. Seminars to getting your scholarship money: Be wary of certain free seminars claiming to know how and the best way to get you scholarship money. These sessions could be include pressure schemed tactics which could leave you very uncomfortable for you and could cause you to end up patronizing them, so the way out is not to go at all even if you are invited.

The main way to avoid all these scams is to use common sense and be inquisitive. When you ask questions, you can usually find the holes in a scam and avoid being fooled. Remember, money should be coming to you instead of you should giving it out to fraudsters.