College students usually face a lot of challenges. Many of these challenges are related to academic work, such as writing essays, research papers, and general coursework. To make things more challenging, college students are also the subject of many scam attempts because of how vulnerable they are. Some of these scams can lead to loss of money, but some can also lead to problems with law enforcement, especially with identity theft cases. This article will be focusing on 4 of the most popular scams you might face as a college student and ways you can protect yourself.
4 of the Most Popular Scams College Students Should Know
1. Financial aid scams
Getting an education can be very expensive, so many students choose to apply for scholarships and other financial aid. Scammers are aware of this and often phone students claiming to represent the awarding body of a particular scholarship scheme.
They might ask for your bank information, which might seem like a normal thing; however, they often store that information for future scams. They might also request a sum of money under the pretense they need to process your document.
To avoid these types of scams, you might want to prepare a list of scholarships you have applied to as well as their contact details—that way, you might be able to notice when you’re getting a scam call for a scholarship you didn’t apply for, or when the scammer is contacting you with a different option from the contact details list.
2. Hacked WIFI networks
College students can often spend a lot of time on public WIFI networks, but this can be quite dangerous. Many cyber security tips for college students agree that If the public network you’re connected to isn’t encrypted, a hacker can easily intercept data that is moving through the network. This can be particularly dangerous if you log on to your social media or make online transactions while connected to a compromised WIFI network.
To avoid falling for these types of scams, only connect to WIFI networks you’re familiar with and avoid unknown networks despite the free data you might be able to get. Make sure to install the latest antivirus to help encrypt your data and warn you when there’s a breach. When connected to a public WIFI network, you might want to avoid doing anything online that involves entering your ATM pin or passwords, even if it's authentic.
3. Employment scams
Like financial aid scams, college students are particularly vulnerable to employment scams as they are often applying to numerous companies to improve their chances of securing a job—many students often look for the best paper writing services review to connect them with professional writers to draft their job application essays.
In this type of scam, the fraudster might request payment to process your documents or for your personal information. To protect yourself, you might want to be skeptical of job offers to promise very high wages for someone of your level of expertise and avoid making any payments whatsoever, as a legit company should handle any such expense.
4. Social media scams
Social media is quite popular among college students, and as a result, many scammers are lurking about. Some popular scams involve receiving a friend request from someone you don’t know. They might end up asking personal questions to use the information for fraudulent activities. To protect yourself, you might want to consider making your social media accounts private and only accept requests from people you know.
Bottom Line
College is a great time to learn about the world and expand your thinking. However, it is also a very vulnerable stage of our lives, so it’s important we take precautions to ensure our safety. While the scams covered in this article are dangerous, there are many more, so always be alert.
Author’s Bio
Eric Wyatt is a freelance writer and cybersecurity enthusiast. He researches the latest fraud techniques then writes articles focused on teaching people how to avoid them. Eric is also an avid gamer and enjoys hanging out with friends.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).