A new school year is here! Between registering for classes, buying and renting textbooks, securing financial aid and settling into housing, college students have enough to worry about. The last thing anyone needs is a scammer to take advantage of this busy time.
The FCC recently issued a warning to students, noting it can be hard to tell if something is a scam or legitimate effort to assist students.
Here are 3 scams Chase wants students to look out for and tips to help keep you safe:
- Textbook rental and school supplies shopping scams: Last year, families spent a total of $41.5 billion dollars on school shopping, averaging about $890 per household. Recognizing the demand, scammers create fake online stores offering discounted school supplies and textbooks rentals but delivering substandard or nonexistent products
- Be cautious of duplicate school store sites and email offers advertising deals that seem too good to be true. Scammers replicate school websites, mimicking their branding and language to deceive users.
- Only purchase from verified retailers. Always buy textbooks directly from official retailers to ensure authenticity. Avoid responding to unsolicited emails or texts offering discounted textbooks, as they may lead to malware or viruses infecting your device.
- Only use official payment channels. Pay only through the official website. Some scammers may attempt to persuade you to use alternative payment methods. Legitimate sellers will never ask for sensitive information such as your social security number, banking passwords or ATM pin.
- Scholarship and financial aid scams: Every year, hundreds of millions of dollars are lost to students defrauded by scholarship scams. Scammers target students with loans, pretending to be from a reputable company, bank or a government agency promising student loan forgiveness. They will request verification of personal and financial information, tricking victims into sharing sensitive data.
- Always ignore and block calls and messages from numbers you don’t recognize and don’t trust caller ID alone. When in doubt, hang up and get in touch with the company or bank directly to ask if there is a problem.
- Keep any student loan information safe and use digital tools to monitor your financial and bank accounts closely. For example, Chase Credit Journey offers free credit and identity monitoring, including alerts which can help inform you if your personal information is exposed in a data breach or on the dark web. You don’t have to be a Chase customer to use credit journey – it’s free for everyone. You also can set up transaction alerts on your bank account.
- Student identity theft: Scammers access school databases to take students’ personal information, create fake enrollment forms and send phishing emails posing as educational institutions to trick victims into sharing personal information or login credentials.
- Keep important documents safe, such as your Social Security card, passport and birth certificate. These documents contain key information that bad actors may try to use against you or sell on the dark web. If you lose your driver’s license, identification card and passport, or believe someone has stolen one of them, report it right away.
- Opt for paperless billing for your credit card, loan or bank statements. Collect your mail every day and put it on hold when you’re away on vacation. Shred receipts, billing statements, unused checks and other financial paperwork.
- Avoid conducting personal business when connected to public Wi-Fi, like at a coffee shop or library. Use complex passwords when creating log ins for highly-sensitive accounts, especially your bank account, personal email or health insurance.
To learn more about the latest scams and how to protect yourself, visit chase.com/spot_scams.
For informational/educational purposes only: Views and strategies described may not be appropriate for everyone and are not intended as specific advice/recommendation for any individual. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but JPMorgan Chase & Co. or its affiliates and/or subsidiaries do not warrant its completeness or accuracy.
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