{"id":96123,"date":"2019-08-26T03:00:48","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T10:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=96123"},"modified":"2025-08-20T23:08:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T06:08:22","slug":"beware-of-back-to-school-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/beware-of-back-to-school-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware of Back-To-School Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"

These days it seems that there is a scam for every season, and back-to-school is no different. From phony financial aid, to debt scams, and phishing emails designed to steal your identity information, there are a lot of threats to study up on.<\/p>\n

Of course, many of these scams are just different twists on the threats we see year-round. For instance, debt collection, tax, and imposter scams, were named some of the top frauds<\/a> of 2018 by the Federal Trade Commission, costing U.S. consumers over $1.48 billion. And many of the same techniques are being directed at students, graduates, and their parents.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to watch out for:<\/h2>\n

Identity Theft<\/strong>\u2014 While you might think that identity theft would only be a risk to older students applying for aid, in fact over a million children<\/a> were victims of identity theft in 2017, with two thirds of them under the age of eight. This is because children’s identities can be more valuable to cyber thieves as their Social Security numbers have never been used before, so they have clean credit reports that are rarely checked.<\/p>\n

Some savvy scammers have even started to ask parents for their child\u2019s identity information when applying for common back-to-school activities, such as joining a sports league or after school class.<\/p>\n

Phony Tuition Fees\u2014<\/strong>\u201cDon’t lose your spot!\u201d This is the call to action scammers are using to trick students and parents into paying a made-up tuition fee. You may receive an official looking email, or receive a call directly from scammers, hoping to take advantage of the stress that many people feel around getting into the school of their choice. Some victims of this scam have already paid tuition, but are confused by last-minute requests for a fee to save their spot.<\/p>\n

Financial Aid Fraud<\/strong>\u2014Education has become incredibly expensive in recent years, and scammers know it. That’s why they put up ads for phony financial aid, and send phishing emails, hoping to lure applicants with the promise of guaranteed assistance, or time sensitive opportunities.<\/p>\n

Many pose as financial aid services that charge an \u201cadvance fee\u201d to help students apply for loans. When you fill out an application the fraudsters potentially get both your money (for the \u201cservice\u201d) and your identity information. This can lead to identity theft, costing victims an enormous amount of time and money.<\/p>\n

Student Loan Forgiveness\u2014<\/strong>We\u2019ve seen a proliferation of social media ads and emails offering to help student borrowers<\/a> reduce, or even completely forgive, their loan debt. Some of these offers are from legitimate companies that lend advice on complicated financial matters, but others are scams, charging exorbitant fees with the promise of renegotiating your debt. Just remember, debt relief companies are not permitted to negotiate federal student loans<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Phony Student Taxes\u2014<\/strong>Another common scam that targets students are phony messages and phone calls from the IRS, claiming that the victim needs to immediately pay a \u201cfederal student tax\u201d, or face arrest. Of course, this tax does not exist.<\/p>\n

Shopping Scams\u2014<\/strong>From books, clothes, and supplies, to dorm accessories, the start of the school year often means the start of an online shopping frenzy. That’s when students and parents are susceptible to phishing emails that offer \u201cstudent discounts\u201d on popular items, or claim that they \u201cmissed a delivery\u201d and need to click on an attachment. Links in these emails often lead to phony websites that collect their payment information, or malware. The same is true for offers of cheap or \u201cfree\u201d downloads on normally expensive textbooks.<\/p>\n

Here are some tips to avoid these sneaky school-related scams:<\/strong><\/h2>\n