Here are a few of the most common financial scams targeting students:

• Unpaid tuition scams: Scammers will pose as representatives of the student’s university bursar or financial aid staff. They’ll claim that tuition is late or missing, threatening the student with being dropped from classes if tuition is not immediately paid.
• Financial aid or scholarship scams: Scammers will send a notification that the student has a received a scholarship the student didn’t apply for. They’ll usually demand a processing fee, or tax information and other sensitive data in order to release the funds.
• Student loan relief scams: The scammers in this case will claim to be federal representatives or loan servicers from the Department of Education, asking for upfront fees in order to lower or forgive payments or eliminate loan balances.
• Ghost applications: If scammers have somehow stolen a student or prospective student’s identification, they can use it to enroll in a college or university and claim the related financial aid grant and loan money, which is often dispersed at the beginning of the semester.
• Test prep service scams: Scammers will promise better test scores, exclusive study materials, or other similar help using hidden fees or unclear pricing.
• Housing scams: Scammers will pretend to be landlords and post listings for apartments that don’t exist, wanting payment before you’ve seen the apartment or signed a lease.