1. You are asked to send money. Legitimate financial aid organizations do not require any application, disbursement or other up-front fees.

2. You are guaranteed to receive a scholarship. No scholarships can ever be guaranteed. All scholarship awards are determined by the scholarship sponsors.

3. You must give out bank account, credit card, calling card or social security numbers. These scams will use your information to make withdrawals on your bank account or rack up charges on your charge accounts.

4. You have never heard of the organization contacting you or you don’t remember asking them for more information. You are responsible for making contact with financial aid organizations. Legitimate organizations will only contact you after you contact them first.

5. You are expected to purchase something in return for information, applications or scholarships. These businesses are using scholarships (which may not even exist) as selling tools for their products.

6. You are uncertain of the legitimacy of the offer. If you have any doubts, tell them you will get back to them. Then do some checking. Chances are your instincts are correct.

For more information on financial aid and financial aid scams, check with your high school counselor, college financial aid office or the Internet at http://www.finaid.org.

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