As college students either return to school or prepare for their freshman year, scammers may try to ruin their college experience.
Jim Temmer, president of the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin, told the WCUB Breakfast Club that the easiest scam for college students is fake text messages.
“And it says this is from the financial department of your college or university. Please click on this link. You will need to log in with your username and password.” he explained.
“This is a scam. They just want to get your personal information.”
Temmer explains that if the text does not appear legitimate, you should contact the college’s finance department.
There are also many housing scams for students who do not want to live on campus.
Temmer explained that the offers can be very tempting, but it is important not to give out credit or debit card information to people you have never spoken to.
He also says to be careful with apartments on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, as many of them are scams. But it’s not just students who can be scammed out of apartments, they can also be scammed by people claiming to be someone looking for a roommate.
He says don’t wait until the last minute.
“Many of these scams are easier to fall for if you really don’t know what’s going on, or if you’re a little nervous and a little scared (of being in a new place),” he explained.
“So, someone tells you a good story and says I’m going to help you. Some of these scams are pretty easy to fall for.”
Another scam to watch out for is study fraud, where someone pretends to help you study by giving you old tests, but then blackmails you by saying, “We’re going to tell the college that you tried to cheat.”
You can find more college scams online at bbb.org.
