Office of Student Aid : Parents of Students : Parent Newsletter
Parents of Students
Penn State Office of Student Aid Parent Newsletter
April 2007
Student Aid Scam Alert--Proceed With Caution
A financial aid scam is making its way to Penn State parents and students. An organization has mailed solicitations to students or their parents asking them to provide social security numbers and personal information on a "Student Aid Profile Form." The company also indicates students should return a fee with the form in order to be considered for additional aid.
Our office would like to remind parents and students that you should always be wary of any individual or organization that offers grants or scholarships for a fee. **Never provide bank account, credit card, or other sensitive information to any individual soliciting personal information from you over the telephone or via the mail or e-mail unless you have initiated the contact and trust the company.**
If you are a victim of a scam, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) recommends the following steps:
Immediately contact your bank, explain the situation, and request that the bank monitor or close the compromised account.
Report the fraud to ED's Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-800-MIS-USED (1-800-647-8733) or oig.hotline@ed.gov. Special agents in the Office of Inspector General investigate fraud involving federal education dollars.
Report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC has an online complaint form, a hotline at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), and a teletype for the hearing impaired at 1-866-653-4261. The FTC will investigate if the fraud is deemed widespread; therefore, it is important that every student contacted by the person or people in question lodge a complaint so the FTC has an accurate idea of how many incidents have occurred.
Notify the police about the incident. Impersonating a federal officer is a crime, as is identity theft.
For information about identity theft prevention and student aid scams, you may visit the Department of Education's Web site. For information about searching for financial aid and avoiding scams, visit the Federal Student Aid Web site.