As first year college students go through a lot of growing pains as they face new challenges and opportunities. From figuring out which major to choose, learning how to juggle work and school and just living on your own for the first time, scam artists lie in wait hoping they students make a mistake. BBB reminds first year students to make wise life choices by making educated decisions.
“First year college students are exposed to all kinds of new possibilities”, said Mechele Agbayani Mills, president and CEO of BBB serving Central East Texas. “Unfortunately, this also makes them vulnerable to scam artists who make attempts to take advantage of their lack of life experiences.”
BBB sheds some light on the following scams which target those attending college:
Accommodation scams. Rental owners are supposedly governed by strict controls over the conditions in which they maintain their properties, however, there are unscrupulous landlords that don’t play by the rules. You want to make sure you actually go to the property before putting any money down and make sure you’re getting what you expect.
Then, there are also non-existent rentals. They take your down payment, and when you arrive, the person you gave the money to doesn’t even own the property, or the property doesn’t exist. Before providing any form of payment, visit the property and research the property management company by going to bbb.org.
Finding a place to work. If the job you’re looking at involves door to door selling, like selling magazines, cleaning supplies, handyman work, or even raising money for charity, you want to make sure you check the company out before you begin working for them, because in some cases, the product doesn’t exist, or the charity is bogus, or the handyman really doesn’t do the work you’re selling, which means you’re not likely going to get paid.

Steer clear from any job that sends you a check to deposit, then wants you to wire funds or put funds to a prepaid card. The problem is, the check is fake or it might be a forged check from an actual bank account (but not from the company on the check), and you could be charged with money laundering if you cash it.

Paying for school. Be on the lookout for phony scholarships and grants who are just trying to get your account information to wipe it out, not to deposit money for school as they claim.

Paying for anything. Some identity thieves set up fake credit card application booths luring students to give away very personal information in exchange for a t shirt or an umbrella or something like that. It’s basically an easy way to steal information. If you want to get a credit card, go to the bank and apply for one.

Be safe on Wi-Fi hotspots. Using Wi-Fi on an unsecured network puts you at risk for identity theft. A lot of students use public places to study, and you want to make sure you use encryption soft ware and password protection to block identity thieves when doing homework in these Wi-Fi hotspots and don’t log onto your bank account or other sites that contain personal information.
For more tips on how to be a savvy consumer, go to bbb.org. To report fraudulent activity or unscrupulous business practices, please call the BBB Hotline: (903)581-8373 or use BBB Scam Tracker.