Beware of Back-to-School Scams

Scammers follow the headlines and the calendar to plan their attacks – and that includes back-to-school shopping season. While the stores are stocking up with pencils and notebooks to meet the needs of parents and students, scammers are ready to strike. Whether you’re a student of any age or the parent of a student, beware of these trending back-to-school scams.

Social media scams

In these scams, victims are targeted through their social media platforms and offered incredible deals or offers on school supply shopping. Thes offers may come in the form of deeply discounted gift cards to popular stores, expensive tech at bargain prices, and more.

These deals are bogus.

If you click on the links to claim these deals, your device will be infected with malware.

Textbook shopping scams

School supplies, including textbooks and laptops, are expensive, so it’s natural to look for deals and discounts to try and save some money. When searching for cheaper alternatives online, beware of fake stores that claim to sell discounted school supplies and textbooks.

Be alert to deals that appear too good to be true, and check the store’s web address to make sure it’s authentic. Scammers will create fake versions of a school’s online store by copying and pasting their logos and other information to make the store looks real. These sellers sometimes misrepresent what they’re selling, such as sending you a very outdated edition of the textbook. They may even take your money without sending you anything at all.

Also consider what the seller’s payment terms are. If they are asking for payment through a cash transfer app like Venmo, or in exchange for gift cards, that’s often a red flag that they’re trying to scam you. Legitimate online businesses take standard forms of payment, such as credit or debit cards.

Scholarship scams

The scholarship scam is another con that is common this time of year. The fraudster tries to trick students and their parents into paying money for financial aid such as student loans or scholarships. Keep these tips in mind to avoid falling for scholarship scams:

• There is no fee to apply for government aid. Help is available to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms at fafsa.gov.
• There is no way to guarantee a scholarship or grant. If a company promises to get you approved for either one by paying a small fee, you’re being targeted by a scam.
• There is generally no fee necessary to receive a scholarship. If you are offered a scholarship for a fee, opt-out.

School supply giveaways and freebies

Back-to-school shopping can be an expensive undertaking. The cost of backpacks, new clothes, and basic supplies can really add up! Messages promising a free back-to-school shopping spree can be enticing, except they are not usually legit.

If you’re the target of a back-to-school giveaway scam, you will be asked to visit a website and provide your email address to claim your prize. In return, you will be bombarded with emails, texts, and calls from the company that now has your information, as well as other companies they’ve sold your information to. And there are no actual prizes in sight.

Sometimes, the scam goes even further. The website that you visit may infect your device with malware. Or the scammer may demand a “processing fee” before you can claim your supposed prize.

Don’t get scammed!

Protecting yourself from any of these scams is easy if you take a moment to ask yourself this simple question: Does this make sense? Remember – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Learn more about protecting yourself from scammers at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website or on our Security page. Stay alert, stay educated, and stay safe from fraud.