College students and their families are spending money on tuition and school supplies as they prepare for the new year. However, scammers know this and are trying to steal some of that money through various schemes.
One tactic that has been used to get students’ personal information is a phishing email that claims to be from the school’s “Financial Department.” Messages via text or email may appear, instructing the student to click on a link provided in the email and log in with a student username and password. But don’t do it! Doing so could give your username, password, or other personal information to scammers, while also possibly downloading malware onto the device.
Whether you are starting school away from home or have young students who may be vulnerable to such scams, the Better Business Bureau recommends watching out for these financial scams before heading into the new semester.
• Fake credit cards — Offers to apply for the first credit card are tempting to many students. Not only could this create credit problems down the road due to unchecked spending, but some of the deals could be phony offers designed to get access to personal information. Research the offers from the credit card flyers and the banking institutions before applying.
• Too good to be true apartments — It’s hard not to jump on a convenient apartment so close to campus, especially if it advertises affordable rent. It’s tempting to hand over credit card information online to…
