By KELLEY RADUNICH and AMIE AMEZCUA
kelley@du2.byu.edu and amie@du2.byu.edu
Students applying for scholarships should take precautions to prevent themselves from becoming the targets of scams.
Many companies advertise possible phoney scholarships by mail, telephone and over the Internet.
'Mostly the problem is that it seems like they misrepresent what they are offering,' said Russ Behrmann, president of the Utah Better Business Bureau.
Scholarship search services promise students aid in finding a scholarship applicable to their specific needs or interests. Although many students who apply for help think they will automatically receive a scholarship, they often only get a list of potential scholarship options.
'Many times the offer to help you find a scholarship is nothing more than them trying to sell you a publication that is very generic, all-inclusive of all kinds of scholarship opportunities,' Behrmann said.
Other companies ask students to pay a processing fee before they give out information.
'They can charge you anywhere from $29.95 to $450,' Behrmann said.
Taunia Sloat, a Timpview High School counselor, said she warns students against any companies who ask for money in return for assistance.
'Any time that you have to pay money to a processing fee for a scholarship, then that is not the scholarship for you. There is no reason to pay even a $3 fee,' Sloat said.
Students do not have to risk using a search service in order to find a quality scholarship. In most cases, students can find sufficient information about scholarship opportunities from their high school or college career center.
'Scholarship companies request money from students, promising 'exclusive' help, when all they're really getting is a laundry list of options that could just as easily be obtained in a local library,' Behrmann said.
Wraylynn Dahl, a freshman from Provo, majoring in speech pathology, said she has been the victim of a scholarship scam.
'I went in to the counselor in our high school and she got me some forms and stuff to fill out -- there was this one scholarship that you had to fill out information about yourself and send $3 in, and then I didn't hear anything from them again,' she said.
Students should be wary of any scholarship search services who request money up front, or groups who ask for specific financial information like a credit card number.
'I really caution people about the amount of information that you give about yourself or you're going to find yourself on a lot of lists,' Behrmann said.
Students can contact the Better Business Bureau to check the legitimacy of any company offering them a scholarship.