1. Be Scam Smart – college students
As young adults,collegestudents are smart, really smart,and as parents we assumethat means they are capable
of not fallingvictimto the schemes of scammers – they know better than that right? No, not so much. They might
know all aboutthe latest piece of technology and how to use it or how to solvethe quadratic equation but
knowing that not everything on the Internet is true and that not every person you meet is trustworthy and honest
– well,sometimes they don’t always knowthat. In their rush to be independent and on their own they often fall
prey to nefarious tricksters who rely on their willingnessto trustfirstand ask questions later.
The most recent scamagainstcollegestudents involves callers posing as government representatives (or even FBI
agents) and claimingthatthe student is delinquenton their student loans or dues, taxes or even overdue parking
tickets. Students have even been threatened by callerswith arrestor not being ableto graduate from school if
these fees arenot paid immediately – via MoneyGram of course.
In an attempt to make these claims appear credible,the caller claims to have specific studentinformation and uses
an originatingtelephone number that appears to be or is “spoofed” as that of an FBI field office. Students can
easily fall victimto this because let’s faceit – they arestill naïveenough to believe that if you say you are an officer
of the lawthen you must be one. Who would want to pretend to be that?
This is only one example of what our students are up against. Add to itscams related to non-existent scholarships,
social media,identity theft and credit card rip-offs –anything that either scares thestudent or, on the other end of
the spectrum, makes them feel so comfortable that they sharepersonal and privateinformation that could lead to
financial problems and the world becomes a much scarier placefor them to be in.
But itdoesn’t have to be scary. To keep our students alert, safeand smarter than these scammers we need to
arm them with the followingknowledge:
 The FBI does not call privatecitizens requestingmoney (for that matter neither does the IRS or any other
government agency) They will puttheir request in writing and typically send itby certi fied mail or a real
officer of the lawwill come knockingon your door and “serve” you with papers. (of course, if this
happens, be sure to see their credentials or dial 911 to verify that the person in front of you really is an
officer of the law)
 Never give out unsolicited requests for personal information to callers thatyou don’t know. Ask for itin
writingthen call someone to help you verify the company is real. A friend,family member, the police
department (use the non-emergency number of course!) or the Better Business Bureau in your area
www.bbb.org/bbb-directory
 Know that there are people out there waitingto rip you off and question anythingthat doesn’t “feel right”
or that you are unfamiliarwith. If the caller is unwillingto answer your questions that should be the
first“red flag” so pay attention to it!
Who to contact if you or your collegestudent suspectthey are being scammed? Your local Better Business Bureau
is a great placeto start! www.bbb.org/bbb-directory