With rising costs for higher education, more and more families are looking to scholarships. Fortunately, there are tons of amazing resources available that are ready and willing to help. Yet at the same time different scams and frauds exist as pitfalls for students. How can you tell which scholarhsips are legitimate and which ones are not? Here are some scholarship "red flags" to be on the lookout for that will be able to help you discern...
Request for Personal Information
Always be wary of a scholarship that demands personal information such as your Social Security number, credit card information, and bank account information in order to apply.
Need to Pay or Buy in Order to Qualify
If you have to pay a fee or buy something or attend anything in order to apply for the scholarship, that is a definite red flag.
Promises "Guaranteed" Results
If a scholarship is saying you already won without having done anything, that is very suspect. All scholarships have eligibility requirements and is based on merit, so if you do not have to do anything to win their money, be very cautious for no scholarship is ever "guaranteed".
Information about the Scholarship is Missing or Inconsistent
If there is no contact information available for the scholarship, then that is a red flag. Also if information about this scholarship is not found anywhere else or mentioned anywhere else, that is a concern. Another big red flag is if there is no history of any past winners.
Issues with Website
If the scholarship's website is filled with constant advertisements and pop-ups, that is a definite concern.
