It is quite saddening how some people are ready to exploit the helplessness of others for personal gain. While many helpless or disadvantaged students are exploring for opportunity to improve their lots in life through the aid of scholarships, some dubious characters are apparently out to take advantage of their situations. You will find in this post few ideas on how you can avoid falling victim of scholarship scams.
Scholarship scam is real – you will readily agree with me if you have previously been burnt. It is, therefore, not surprising when the Federal Ministry of Education recently issued a warning to unsuspecting students to watch it when sourcing for scholarships.
The education ministry says it is working in partnership with security agents to clamp down on unscrupulous persons who perpetrate these scholarship scams. While the government is hard at work, as claimed, it is helpful for you to exercise due diligence in the meantime.
Whenever you see a scholarship advert, here are few tell-tale signs that could help you determine if such is for real or just an invention of a con man.
Award without application – Ordinarily, one ought to feel concerned or scared when you are told you won something you did not apply for. I have received emails and text messages in the past informing me I won one thing or the other in contests I did not apply to take part in, or even know anything about at all. It does not make sense. So if you receive a letter, message or call telling you that you have won a scholarship that you can’t remember ever applying for, it will very likely be in your best interest to discount or ignore such.
Lack of serious restrictions – Scholarships that are designed to be make many people eligible to apply may be scam schemes. The NIIT scholarship is an example of such. That is not to say the NIIT scheme is a scam, although it still requires you to pay some amount of money. If the organisation offering such scholarships is not as reputable as the leading IT company, it is advisable to approach with caution.
First come, first served – Another possible indicator of scholarship scams is the use of the phrase “first come, first served.” That tactic is meant to apply pressure on you to make things easier for the scam artists getting you fleeced.
Request for payments – The ultimate sign of scholarship fraud is request for money. If someone is offering you money, why should you also have to pay that same person to get what is promised. It just does not make sense. Do not delay in bolting away once you are being requested to pay a fee or the other to get a scholarship award. Else, you will very likely end up funding another person’s needs and extravagant lifestyle without returns – even just thanks.
Hope you find the information here useful in avoiding falling victim of scholarship scams. Good luck.
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