 There are thousands of scholarships. Sometimes it is very difficult to know if that too-good-to-be-true scholarship is just that. Therefore you have to check it out! In many cases, there will be red flags that should influence your sense and help keep you from fraud and disappointment.
Some things are apparent once you know what to look for, but others can be hard to find. If you find yourself getting scholarships that seemed to just magically appear, take into the account the following:
• The service provides a money-back guarantee if you don't get a scholarship.
No one can guarantee that you'll be given a grant or scholarship. Refund guarantees normally have impossible conditions attached. Usually, deceptive scholarship services require you to demonstrate rejection letters from each of the sponsors on the list they provided. Letters of rejection are almost impossible to get if a sponsor no longer exists, doesn't propose scholarships, or has a rolling application deadline. (If you want to use a service, ask to review their refund policies in writing before you pay any fees).
• The scholarship service asks for your credit card or checking account number.
Never give your credit card or bank account number to anyone or any organization that you don't know. A legitimate need-based scholarship program won't ask to provide your checking account number because it doesn't need it. An unscrupulous business can illegally drain your account with unauthorized withdrawals.
• The service charges you a fee.
This should instantly raise a red flag! Be careful with any charges related to scholarship information services or individual scholarship applications, especially in considerable amounts. There are some legitimate scholarship sponsors that charge small fees to pay their processing expenses, but this isn't the norm. True scholarship sponsors award money; they don't profit from their application fees.
If you find yourself saying exactly that, it could be a clue that perhaps things aren't all they seem. Don't believe everything you hear or see!
 • The service claims to be the only one with the information.
You can see scholarship directories from many publishers in any large bookstore, public library, high school guidance office, or on the Web. You can normally find what you need without fees.
• The service claims you are a finalist or a winner in a contest you never heard of.
Legitimate scholarship programs almost never look for specific applicants and will only contact you in response to your inquiry. Nevertheless, if you think the scholarship may be legitimate, look into the details and examine the company before you send any money.
• The scholarship service offers to do all the work for you.
It may sound like a sweet deal but unfortunately, nobody but you can fill out all the personal information forms, supply the references, and write the essays that many scholarships require. Only you can sell yourself, because you know yourself better than anyone else.
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