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All That Glitters Is Not Gold�

Faustina Washburn and Monica Hernandez

Nevada/California Regional Alumni Association

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Congratulations!

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Can you spot the financial aid fraud?

Suspicious Email Address

Request for personal information

Suspicious Link

Approved without filling out an application

Processing time

This is an actual email that circulated on a college campus a few years back. Let’s reveal some of these red flags.

1) The first major red flag is that the email is not .gov. Rather, it is from .org and also coming from an unmonitored account.

2) You can’t get approved for aid without filling out an application.

3) Since we know this email is a bit suspicious, never click on a link from an unknown sender.

4) The processing time is a huge red flag. While it may take a few days to process, you typically won’t receive any notification of granted funds for about 4-6 weeks.

5) And last, the request for a picture of your license or state issue id screams fraud. No real agency will ask for picture of your ID.

There might be other red flags such as logos or the “please do not reply to this message.” While the red flags might seem easy to spot, that’s not always the case for everyone. Maybe this is the first time you are apply for FAFSA. Remember, this email was delivered to student college email accounts. You would expect a level security but sometimes even the most secured system can be bypassed. Be mindful.

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Financial Aid and Scholarship Fraud

Guaranteed scholarships and financial aid

Application or processing fees

Requests for personal information

Pressure “Act Fast because you’ve been selected…”�

(MONICA)

In addition to fraudulent financial aid packages, there are fraudulent scholarships.

Much like fraudulent job offers, fraudsters hope to lure you in with a personalized offer of a scholarship or financial aid package. For a processing fee, these fraudulent companies offer to fill out the application for the “supposed program..” But really, they are stealing your information. They are using the information to fill out FAFSA. A lot of the time, these fraudsters are falsifying the information to get you more money. Not only do you lose your personal information, your FSA ID, but you could be tied to fraud for falsifying your FAFSA (slow down here). Again, these fraudsters move quickly.

They might say, “We’ll do all the work. You just pay a processing fee.” There is always a sense of urgency.

*And for those applying for scholarships, be mindful of those that are asking for zero requirements.

Sidenote: Just as there are scam scholarships and financial aid scams, there are scam loans and loan forgiveness programs.

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Fraudsters are NOT looking to hire

Their goal is to obtain:

Your money

Personal information

Or both

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Example of a Fraudulent Job Offer

.

Not Kelly Services Email

Uses iMessage

Big Corporation

You must be 25

Send a reply to a personal phone number

(MONICA) Here’s an actual text scam that I received last month. This is an unsolicited text that looks like it’s from a big corporation. This is an example of a task scam. The job requires increasing app views and downloads—an offer to work from anywhere with great pay.

Let’s look at some of the red flags.

1)It uses different email address that is not Kelly Services.

2) The text is coming from a personal phone number.

3) This is a supposed text from Kelly Services looking to recruit for a remote job.

4) This is probably the most flagrant example of a fraudulent job offer is having to send a text message to a personal number. Remember I said this because it’s key and we will circle back to this in a minute.

5) “You must be at 25.” This is an incomplete sentence and it is missing the word least. There is also no period at the end of the sentence.

The job posting is not written professionally. And this is done by design. This helps to filter out more savvy internet users and job seekers.

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Spot The Red Flags

Unsolicited Offer
Immediate Hiring
Requests Personal Information
Interview conducted via chat
Fraudulent AI-powered job scams
Easy Money, Big Pay

(Monica ) So how do we spot the red flags?

It’s important to note that fraudsters move quickly. You might receive an immediate job offer via text or email..

There is a sense of urgency to take the job. This doesn’t allow the person time to vet the corporation that is supposedly hiring.

The fraudster will attempt to obtain sensitive information, such as bank account details or a Social Security number.

They might even offer an interview via chat. In reality, there is no such thing as a job.

Also, be mindful of AI-powered job scams. Fraudsters are becoming increasingly sophisticated in posting fake job listings and company profiles on legitimate sites, such as Indeed and LinkedIn. Some of these scams might seem obvious, but the sophistication behind them can trick even careful people.

The most attractive offer is the easy money, big pay.

Remember, legitimate employers won’t ask you for this type of information before being hired.

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How to Avoid Fraud

Search online: email, Phone# w/ keyword “scam”
Research the company
Contact the company

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If You Paid A Fraudster

How You Paid	What TO DO
Credit or Debit Card	Contact the company or bank that issued the card. Tell them it was a fraudulent charge and ask to reverse the transaction.
Unauthorized Bank Transfer	Contact bank and tell them it was an unauthorized debit or withdrawal. Ask to reverse
Wire Transfer ( Western Union, Money Grm, Ria)	Contact wire transfer company. Tell them it was a fraudulent transfer. Ask to reverse.
Wire Transfer by bank	Contact your bank and report fraudulent transfer. Ask to reverse.
Money transfer App	Contact Money Transfer app and report fraudulent transaction. Ask to reverse. If app is linked to credit card contact your bank.

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If You Paid a Fraudster Pt. 2

How You Paid	What TO DO
Cryptocurrency	Typically not reversible. The person you sent it to has to return it. Contact the company you used to send the money , ask for reverse.
Cash	If sent by US mail. Contact U.S. Postal inspector 877-876-2455 ask to intercept package.
Scammer Access to Computer
Computer Access	Update security software, Run Scan Delete problems. Change to strong password
Phone	Contact your cell provider. Change to strong password
Personal Information Given	Go to IdentifyTheft.gov follow steps

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Report Fraudulent Job Offers

If you see a job scam, or lose money to one, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
File a scam report with the Better Business Bureau https://www.bbb.org/
You can also report it to your state attorney general

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Fraudulent Nonprofits

Vague mission or no real track record

High-pressure donation tactics

Donations in the form of cash and gift cards

No transparency on how money is used

(FAUSTINA) Lastly, we want to educate you about fraudulent non-profits. There has been an increase of non-profit scams online, especially on platforms such as LinkedIn. Just like other examples we discussed, the scammer moves quickly. These scammers pose as a charity and send phishing emails with a link requesting donations. Yet, these “charities” have no real mission statement or track record.

They use high-pressure tactics, playing into your emotions.

They ask for donations in the form of cash or gift cards.

They often refuse to give out information about their charity or how the donation will be spent. These scammers go as far as impersonating people from high-profile charities.

Don’t fall for the scam! Research the non-profit. Report fraud, especially on the platform where you encounter it. This is especially important as people are quick to retweet or reshare links asking for contributions. If you’re unsure whether the nonprofit is legitimate, you can search on CharityWatch, Charity Navigator, or the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. Or you can type in the non-profit's name with keywords such as “scam.” Talk to your friends and ask around.

This is also extremely important, as many of you will seek out internships.

*If you’re interested in reading about a live interaction with a fraudulent non-profit, please check out the 2025 FALL Alumni Newsletter on PTKALUMNI.ORG.

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If It Glitters, Question It

Protect your money and identity
Report fraud
Be aware for SIM Swapping
Protect against Chip Scanning of credit cards
AI fake websites
Apple phone calendar ads – not a virus
https://www.maketecheasier.com (new)

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How to Receive Consumer Alerts�https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts

Click on Get Consumer Alerts
Enter your email

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Thank you!�Any Questions?

Contact:

faustinawashburn.ptk@gmail.com

monicahernandez.ptk@gmail.com

www.ptkalumni.org/workshops