Scammers love to take advantage of this hectic school season. They can easily slip under the radar and steal personal information. Then, they can use the identity and other private data to make purchases, sign up for services, or sell personal information to other bad actors. This can all happen before the person even knows about the theft!
Protecting your identity should be a top priority as you or your child goes back to school. Let’s discuss some of the scams to watch out for and how you can protect yourself and your family from these malicious schemes.
The most deceptive back-to-school scams yet
These are just a few of the scams that plague adults and kids alike during back-to-school season:
Fake job offers
These scams target parents, kids, college and graduate students—whoever they can snag. Everybody needs money and scammers need targets! You may see a job offer on social media or on a popular employment site. The scammer may even contact you first via one of these channels. They are polite and make the job sound amazing. There’s only one catch: You have to hand over personal information and/or deposit money to get this job. Once the scammer gets what they want out of you, they vanish and the job offer disintegrates into thin air.
Scholarship scams
You may receive an email or text offering a scholarship in exchange for an application fee. Or they may claim that you or your child won a scholarship. Congrats! Now you just have to pay a fee to redeem it. Don’t pay those fees! Legitimate scholarships don’t require you to pay a fee. Research and only apply for scholarships through trustworthy channels.
Financial aid scams
Similar to a scholarship scam, this method works by a scammer claiming that you are eligible for certain financial aid packages if you just pay a hefty fee upfront. The biggest problem with these scams, besides the obvious loss of money, is that you may miss your chance to apply for legitimate financial aid because you are tricked into believing that you already have it.
Tech support scams
If you receive an email or phone call claiming that your computer, cell phone, etc. has a “serious problem” and that you need to pay for its repair immediately, don’t believe it! Scare tactics like this can make you feel like you must act right away. But take a breath, do some digging into your devices, and contact a legitimate tech support company if you do need help.
Shopping scams
Scammers often set up fake advertisements on social media, showcasing a cool gadget or other “necessity” for school. Once you click that link, you potentially download malware onto your device. Or you are taken to the scammer’s fake website to hand your money over to them if you make a purchase.
Tips to protect yourself or your family from back-to-school scams
Always think twice before opening email or text attachments, clicking advertisements, or handing over your card number or other personal information. Do you really need to sign up for that “special offer”? Is the pop-up window on your internet browser offering a deal that seems too good to be true? Be cautious about where and when you choose to share your private details. You can also make sure to do regular updates for antivirus software on your devices. Consider signing up for an identity protection and monitoring service.
What you can do if you experienced a back-to-school scam
If your identity was stolen in a back-to-school scam, you have several options. You can report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission on their website, IdentityTheft.gov. It’s also a good idea to report the theft to your local police department, bank or other financial institution, and place of work. That way, these parties are aware in case your name, credit card number, or other personal details pop up where they shouldn’t be.
How IDShield helps
IDShield offers identity protection and restoration services to help you or your family go back to school with confidence. IDShield can monitor your social media, bank accounts, and other important areas of your life that you input. We will alert you if suspicious activity is detected, and we will provide action steps for you to take. If identity theft does occur, our Licensed Private Investigators will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to restore your identity to its pre-theft status. We don’t leave you to deal with identity theft on your own.
Take the next step!
- Find out more about everything that IDShield can do for you.
- Check out our Family Plan to see if it is the right fit for you and your loved ones.
- Learn more about how to protect yourself from identity theft.
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (“PPLSI”) provides access to identity theft services through membership-based participation. IDShield is a product of PPLSI. All Licensed Private Investigators are licensed in the state of Oklahoma. The information made available in this blog is meant to provide general information and is not intended to provide professional advice, render an opinion, or provide a recommendation as to a specific matter. The blog post is not a substitute for competent and professional advice. Information contained in the blog may be provided by authors who could be third-party paid contributors. All information by authors is accepted in good faith; however, PPLSI makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of such information.
