Pursuing higher education at a university or college does not come cheap. Luckily, there are a number of bursaries and scholarships available to assist students who can't afford to take on the costs of studying further on their own.
While this is definitely helpful, it has also become very common for criminals to take advantage of desperate students and their families, by promising fake bursaries or scholarships.
To avoid being scammed, here are few ways to spot fake bursary offers:
Do Research
It’s important to do research before applying for financial aid.
Search for the person or company offering the financial aid online and check if their website or name is legit. Be on the lookout for posts about these people or the company, to see what other people have said about them.
There are also apps and websites that can check an email address or URL for you; make use of those to scope whether or not this is a potential scam.
It is also helpful to check on an institution's website under their financial aid page to see which legitimate bursary providers are listed.
Even if it seems realistic, there's no harm in double checking for your own peace of mind.
Requests for Financial Information
An easy way to spot bursary and scholarship scams is by checking the application form. Legit applications will never ask you for your banking details. If a bursary is awarded to you, the money will be paid directly to your university or college.
Asking You to Pay
Bursary and scholarship scams usually ask people to pay upfront to supposedly guarantee a successful application. Official organisations know that you’re applying for funding because you are financially needy, so it's suspicious if they're asking you to pay them.
Getting a Bursary or Scholarship You Didn’t Apply For
Ignore all offers for bursaries you didn’t apply for.
Sometimes you'll get a random email or SMS from an unknown source, or at least a source you haven't heard of. If you know you haven't sent out a bursary application, but the message is saying that your application was successful, it is very likely that it is not real.
We could all use some financial help, but these emails can easily be part of internet scams such as phishing. Scholarships all require some sort of work, like filling in forms and writing motivational essays.
Offering to Do Your Application For You
Bursary and scholarship applications always seem to have endless amounts of paperwork. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts.
Applications ask for personal details that only you can provide, like your ID number. If a company randomly offers to apply on your behalf (for a small fee), consider it a red flag.
No Proof of Previous Recipients
You should always search the bursary or scholarship provider online.
Organisations offering financial aid will always post about successful students on their social media or website. Not being able to find previous recipients means it’s likely a scam.
Dead End Links
Social media is usually where bursary and scholarship scams advertise. These posts have links for you to click on so you can apply.
But when you get to the website, it’s filled with pop-up ads and no official information on the provider of the bursary. Scammers get paid every time someone clicks the link.
You should be aware of malicious links. DO NOT click on a link you don't recognise; scammers can access your device very easily this way.
No Minimum Requirements
Bursaries and scholarships typically have certain requirements you need to meet before you can apply.
This can include proof of financial neediness or a minimum percentage for your academics. If the company doesn’t care about either of these, it’s probably a scam.
Offers Made on a First Come, First Serve Basis
This is NOT how legit providers operate.
There is a closing date for applications to be sent in by, then a group of people will get together and look at all the applications they have received. They will then choose the best candidates from the group. Bursaries are not handed out one-by-one in a weekly draw.
