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| Identifying Scholarship Scams |
 Some tactics are easy to recognize, but there are criminals out there that can be pretty clever when it comes to deceiving you and stealing your money right out from under you. A lot of illegitimate operations use sophisticated means of making themselves look like the real thing. Stay a step ahead of them and be wary of the following things:
• Just because it sounds legit, doesn't mean it is.
Deceitful scholarship operations frequently use official-sounding names containing words such as federal, division, national, federation, administration, and foundation. Their names often are a slight variant of the names of a legitimate government or private organization. Don't be fooled by an agency that sounds reputable or official, sports an official-looking seal, or has a Washington, D.C. address.
• Official notification will arrive in writing by mail, not by telephone.
If the sponsor informs you by phone, they should follow up with a letter. Be wary if they ask you for money, it's probably a scam.
• Read the letterhead on your notification or the return address on the envelope.
Be caution with an organization's address is a box number or a residential address. If a conscientious scholarship program uses a post office box number, it will normally include a street address and telephone number on the stationary as well.
 • Beware of telephone numbers with a 900 area code.
These may charge you a fee of several dollars a minute for a call that could be a long recording that provides a list of addresses or names. You won't be able to tell where the call originated, since it's not an area code.
• A dishonest operation may put pressure on you.
Be caution if you hear the claim that awards are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. While some scholarship programs do give preference to earlier qualified applicants, if you are told (especially on the telephone) that you must respond quickly, there may be a problem. Chances are you'll never hear back or it will take several months to get any type of response.
• Watch out for endorsements.
Sham operations claim endorsements by groups with names similar to well-known private or government organizations. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) and government agencies do not endorse businesses.
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