Types of Scams
Scholarship and Financial Aid
Figuring out scholarship opportunities and financial aid can be confusing and overwhelming. Free scholarships and financial aid help are available from many sources, so be wary of any services that charge high prices to help you with your applications. Steer clear of scams by completing your financial aid application on the official Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) website. When searching for scholarship opportunities, check that a website is credible. Fraudulent scholarship websites are sometimes set up to collect personal details for future scams. Be wary of giving out your bank account information and only give out personal information over the phone if you initiated the call with a reputable organization.
Employment
College students seeking full- or part-time employment can become targets of employment scams. Always research before applying for a job and provide important personal or banking information. If any job asks for an upfront payment or personal information, don't give it to them. You should never need to pay for employment. Be cautious of unsolicited emails, texts, direct messages advertising, or job offers. Research the company, before supplying any of your information. Stick to applying for job listings hosted on reputable sites. Any job offer that seems too good to be true could be a scam.
Student Loan Relief
The U.S. Department of Education offers several legitimate student loan forgiveness programs. However, remember that federal programs never ask for a fee to complete any forgiveness paperwork. Forgiveness programs that do charge fees are a scam. When looking into student loan forgiveness programs, stick to student loan websites operated by the federal government. Only these can forgive your federal student loans. Don't give your personal loan information out — especially your student aid ID or password — and don't pay anyone for help with forgiveness programs. Scammers may falsely promise to pay down student loan debt and lower monthly payments. As enticing as it sounds, anyone offering instant loan forgiveness is running a scam.
Credit Card
Some credit card solicitations are veiled attempts at identity theft, providing scammers access to your personal information. Other credit card scams involve real credit cards, but the credit cards are misrepresented. Avoid falling for misleading credit card offers with unfavorable fees, terms, and/or interest rates. Don't fill out unsolicited credit card offers or provide personal information on credit card offers you didn't seek out. Instead, apply for a credit card through your bank or credit union. Do your research and always read the full terms and agreements before signing. You can also explore becoming an “authorized user” on a parent’s or guardian’s account and piggybacking on their credit history.
Textbooks
College textbooks are expensive. Many students try to cut costs by buying their textbooks used or by trying to find websites that offer cheaper prices than the university bookstore. Scammers take advantage of creating fake textbook sites, and victims may purchase textbooks that never arrive. Digital downloads can also be subject to scams. Students interested in digital downloads need to ensure they aren't buying a fake code and aren't downloading malware onto their computers. The easiest way to avoid textbook scams is to purchase your textbooks through your university bookstore or the publishing company associated with the textbook. Many university bookstores offer buy-back programs at the end of the semester, so you can also get used books at a lower cost. Additionally, some campus libraries keep textbooks on hold that you can check out for several hours.
Public Wi-Fi
Completing your homework assignments anywhere with public Wi-Fi sounds enticing, but be wary of scammers using public Wi-Fi to steal your information. Hackers may exploit security flaws on public Wi-Fi routers to access your personal, financial, or banking information. Along with hacking an existing public Wi-Fi network, scammers may create their own fake hot spots. These fake hot spots often have believable names, leading potential victims to believe the hot spot is the actual Wi-Fi of the establishment. Never access your banking accounts or student loan information when using public Wi-Fi. Avoid using a credit card or making purchases over public Wi-Fi. Try frequenting places with password-protected Wi-Fi, and always double-check that the connection is correct — especially if several networks have similar names.
Social Media Sites
Social media scams are becoming more prevalent and difficult to identify. Some scams may seem obvious, such as ads that claim you won a free prize. Others, like fake personal profiles and business pages, can be more difficult to spot. A fake personal profile may add or follow you with the goal of phishing for personal information. Profiles tend to be realistic, and you might even have mutual friends. Likewise, fake business pages may sell nonexistent products or collect your email address for future scams or identity theft. The easiest way to protect yourself from social media scams is to double-check your privacy settings. Make sure you aren't sharing personal information publicly. Don't accept friend requests from anyone you don't know, even if you share mutual friends. And constantly research businesses and order through official sites instead of social media whenever possible. CSUCI will have authorized pages on social media sites, but it does not mean all pages claiming to be CSUCI are official.
Avoid Becoming a Victim
General rules to avoid falling for scams include the following: Don't give out personal or financial information to unknown individuals. Research businesses and companies before providing personal information, applying for jobs, or making housing payments. Don't access private accounts or information on public Wi-Fi. Make sure your online accounts are private, including your social media accounts. Take time to look at your settings and enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) whenever possible. If you have any further questions please email infosec@csuci.edu