College grants, scholarships and fellowships are often used to offset tuition costs. Unlike student loans, these forms of financial aid typically don’t have to be repaid. But if a financial aid offer sounds too good to be true, it might be a scam. This applies to online school programs and traditional based settings. Nearly 840 consumer complaints about scholarship and grant programs were reported to the Federal Trade Commission in 2009, as compared with 177 complaints in 2008, according to an April Smart Money report.
Free scholarship seminars and scholarship consultant visits might result in a company asking for as much as $2,000 for their services, the Smart Money report noted. One Arizona woman took up a federal stimulus grant money offer of $15,000, according to a March report from Phoenix-based ABC 15. The woman followed the offer’s instructions: cashing a $2,000 check that she received from a company and sending the company $2,100 that she thought covered taxes; but she never received the grant balance, and the $2,000 check provided to her bounced after her own money to the company cleared, ABC 15 suggested. If you need more information about student loans and grants, look on the internet.
Students and parents seeking online college grants, scholarships and fellowships might consider some advice from experts:
(1) Don’t get involved in unsolicited free grant offers and don’t pay any money for “free” government grants, the Federal Trade Commission and ABC 15 reporter Joe Ducey advise. If you have not applied for government grants (online or otherwise) and are advised you’ve been awarded one, it’s a scam, according to information attributed to the Better Business Bureau. To prevent telemarketing calls, the Trade Commission recommends getting your telephone number on the National Do Not Call Registry.
(2) Don’t deposit unknown checks or wire money to people you don’t know, Ducey cautions. And don’t share your bank account information with anyone, unless you are familiar with a company and know why the information is needed, the Federal Trade Commission suggests.
(3) Don’t believe false promises. Many legitimate companies advertise that, for an advance fee, they can provide students with scholarship lists, according to the Trade Commission. Many companies also charge fees to compare student profiles with scholarship opportunities for which they might qualify the Trade Commission reports. But legitimate companies never guarantee or promise scholarships or grants for online college and traditional college pursuits, the agency suggests. You might consider an Internet search on any unsolicited offers, according to Ducey. And you might check the correct names of government agencies, according to information from the Trade Commission.
(4) Do research grants online and at the library and talk with financial aid representatives and guidance counselors. Many online college grants, scholarships and fellowships available from schools, large companies, non-profit organizations and government agencies don’t require application fees. By completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available on the US Department of Education Web site, applicants receive information about the types of government financial aid, including low-interest student loans, for which they might be eligible. And a Web site that the Federal Trade Commission says is the only official access point for federal grant-making agencies in general includes an online database. The government itself doesn’t contact anyone to offer money, as per Better Business Bureau information on the database Web site. And the database Web site reports that it doesn’t ask for social security numbers, banking or credit card information; nor does it share information, except with regard to government agencies that can offer assistance.
(5) Do your homework. If you’re attending a financial aid seminar, the Federal Trade Commission recommends you investigate the organization you’re considering paying for help and that you be wary of “success stories”. Ask for three referrals and then ask the referrals if they’re satisfied with products and services received. Ask the company about costs, services provided and their refund policy, and get this information in writing, the Trade Commission suggests. Be cautious of evasive seminar representatives and those who are reluctant to answer questions. Keep in mind that, with some operators, you may never see your money again, even with refund policies in writing, the Trade Commission reports. There is an abundance of information about grants for college on the web.
There are few things more frustrating than needing money to take classes on campus or at colleges online and then finding out someone has scammed you. Searching for government grants sources, government financial aid, loans, and scholarships will turn up both legitimate and fake resources and you will need to use some common sense and do some research.
July 26, 2010 by Michelle Connor
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