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Steer Clear of ID Theft When Applying Online

Steer Clear of ID Theft When Applying Online

Make sure your personal information is safe when applying for scholarships.

By Bridget Kulla

Ever been in the middle of an application and thought to yourself, “What’s going to happen to my information?” You might jot down your name, address, phone number, e-mail address and even your social security number without thinking about it. But with identity theft on the rise, it’s important to protect and safeguard your personal information, including when you apply for scholarships and financial aid.

Understand the Privacy Policy

If you are concerned about how a scholarship provider will use your information, check the sponsor’s web site for a privacy policy. Look for specific details under such headings as “Information Use,” “Information Collection” or “Information Sharing.” If you don’t understand the privacy policy, ask the sponsor or someone you trust about what it means.

Carefully consider the consequences when applying for a scholarship that requires disclosure of your qualifications or other personal attributes you may wish to keep private (e.g., a scholarship for homosexual students). Many sponsors want to spread awareness about their cause, which means they may require permission to use your name and other identifying information when promoting the winners of the scholarship. If you have questions about how this type of information will be used, ask the sponsor and check over your privacy rights before you apply.

Do Your Homework and Trust Your Gut

Still doubt the legitimacy of a scholarship? Make sure you’re aware of common signs of scholarship scams.

For instance, no scholarship should ever charge a fee or require credit card or bank account numbers.

Check with your local Better Business Bureau office to see if any complaints have been filed against the organization. You can also check a domain name registration site such as Register.com, where you can look up contact information like address and phone number with the sponsor’s Web address. If you write to the e-mail address or contact information provided, and you don’t get a response or your message is returned, think twice about applying.

A big part of side-stepping scams is listening to your instincts. “If it feels wrong, if an organization asks for your social security number or bank account information, ask for help,” says Amy Weinstein, executive director of the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA). “Be skeptical and ask for help before you proceed.” If you suspect that you’ve been taken in by a scam, check here for what to do.


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    Sagwa

    about 1 month ago

    Thank you for giving me such license with your essay. My editing focused on streamlining your sentences and paragraphs to focus the reader's attention on the most relevant details. In response to your, if you do not feel you really have anything to add through an additional essay, I still remember, quite vividly, that one day about over 22 years ago. A family had just brought me home from an outing, and they were walking me into our house. I would soon discover that after walking through my white front doors, I would never be quite the same again. Upon entering the house, I could smell a very best dream from the living room. As we walked slowly into the living room, a staggering sight met my eyes. As a result, my mother and father had to set aside of my needs. The chance since I was four years old, but the chance now my father and mother has left my needs and I for Indonesia to start his/her textile company. Because of this involuntary neglect, I, as a seven-year-old developing child,….last and I am confused as to what to put for my financial answers, for example, school fees, my upkeep, etc….never got much of a chance to expand my talents and personality, and many opportunities, such as learning piano at a very young age, had to be put off because of this family crisis now and the absent because. I had trouble coping with the absence of my parents since now, due to his/her constant…... and I had problems finding my identity, lacking a close role model to look up to. I had difficulty performing well in my status, and I felt bad when I saw other children already cultivating their talents and skills at very early ages. From around age seven to recent times, I've been at a disadvantage compared to my peers, in terms of personal maturation, intellectual development, and talent growth. I had been "lagging" behind. I finally realized that the example of how to improve my life had been in front of me the entire time.

    Like my father, I too had a struggle to overcome, and I was determined to fight on. But the path ahead was not going to be easy; it was going to be a test of and perseverance.Growing up without a "dad and mum" figure at my side, I had always felt different from the other children. In elementary and middle school, I noticed that most other youths always seemed happy, easy-going, and extroverted. I remember that I knew a lot of peers around me who always got the newest clothing and toys, but since my.....had a tight budget,.....weren't able to afford any luxuries. I saw other kids taking long family vacations with their dads and mum, while I saw my own…lying in. I remember a classmate asking me, "Where are you going this summer?" and I replied, "I'm going to the…. to see my dad and mum." I was quiet, shy, and timid, since my parents weren't always there to encourage me to express myself openly. Thus besides having kept to myself, I had problems communicating with others, and at one point it had gotten so bad that I was avoiding human contact, and couldn't bring myself to look at people's faces when they were speaking to me. Adding to the blow, I saw others around me already learning instruments, attending tutoring programs, and picking up art lessons - all at very young ages. I was a late starter, and that would be the cause of my struggle. Often, my predicament seemed hopeless - others were better off than I was; I was picked on and ignored by peers; I had an identity problem and was unable to express myself well; I had a hard time in school, and my talents were atrophying away. At a lot of times, I would simply say to myself, "I can't take this any longer. I don't have the patience or the spirit for this - I just don't know what to do anymore."

    By the bearing all that suffering just so that i could live another day to see my family, the better wave had taught me determination and steadfastness. That taught me to never give up. I then realized that I had to go on and defeat this difficult but crucial time period in my life; thus, I made up my mind. I will catch up. I will fully develop my personality, which that had been holding me back. I will improve my academics, no matter what, and I will go out of my way to harvest my talents. No more delays. No more fear. No more shame and most importantly, no more giving up. Also in high school, I start tried to catch up in cultivating one of my talents and interests - piano. I know that others who had been playing for a while had an advantage over me, as learning an instrument such as the piano is best undertaken at very young ages. My father and mother die and I am confused as to what to put for financial answers, for example, school fees, my upkeep, etc. But following my dad and mum's attitude image, I pushed myself; I practiced and practiced, although it became more difficult to find practice time as my….level. Finally, I had practiced so much that my teacher allowed me to skip levels in the any Certificate exam(K.P.C.E, K.S.C.E), just so I could get up to speed with the others. As a result, I jumped from and in just two years Diploma after complete of K.S.C.E. This is another accomplishment of which I am especially proud of, and in March of 2003, I achieved the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Exam level, BUT Without the fees. But I think the crowning achievement of my youth was my ability to overcome my personality flaw. As early as when I was after the exam, I possessed my first economic and financial course for the main purpose of sending my owner person’s dream to my father and mother. But from that time, was using the mistake dream due to unavailable financial for over 5years and has captured most of my spare time. In, I sacrificed time for other activities, and joined MoCeDET College for the Diploma the 2years ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING program, because someone accept to help for the fees in 2years only, that person's is Mary's sister of my ex-permary school, the which basically taught me how to my side openly and effectively as a peer mentor, and as a lead in the community. I am now able to....clearly and confidently to my peers, and it has worked wonders. Last year, I was even able to host an open house event for the mine person's dream program, comfortably in front of a very large. Since then, my...to interest in information technology has been ever growing. After I came to, I even use, and choose Cisco as my core course due to fees Aid by the DeafAid in Kenya and I found that IT is so powerful but that it not only helps me to become more competitive,also bridges people ocean apart. This arouses may my desire to work in IT industry and self-satisfaction also affects my career decision, but in my Country's Development are outside to disabled people.

    Although the reward is practically important in reality, opportunity to learn and job prospect are even more crucial factors for us to be really happy and satisfied. I like learning new skills and acquiring up-dated information, because they can help me adapt the fast-changing world, enrich my experiences, explore my interest, and give me higher self-esteem as I am a valuable person. In addition, a job with a bright prospect gives me incentives to improve myself. Thus, as I become more experienced and knowledgeable, I can pursue a higher level of career and help others. This is my true happiness. For instance, I am now wish for the Grand Canyon University to in an on campus organization, FastWeb Web, in which you responsible for, answering and making for handouts. I am interested in this, because can help me how to, can improve my interpersonal skills by answering any students' questions, and can enrich my research experience. These skills are valuable because that can use i for them in future. And can feel for myself to become more productive and knowledgeable. In short run, after, I should attend a Bachelor of science in Elementary Education & Special Education or Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics-programming course at the Grand Canyon University, in order to continuously update myself and become more competitive. In long run, when I to have gathered enough managerial and analysis skills and experiences, I plan to have my.....in my Country in FUTURE.

    When I walked through my front door, the first thing I noticed was MY DREAM TO COME TRUTH. Then, I should expecting everything to be normal. My.....self-esteem affected my performance in EDUCATION BECAUSE IS THE KEY TO EVERY SUCCESS..... by my, I lost the confidence to excel. In a vicious spiral, each bad, but also make me feel as if I had failed my father, who cared so much about academics when he was LIFE. I was ashamed of every, mistaking MY concern for disappointment.One day, I decided finally to change my life. Listening to my' stories of LIFE lessons and gymnastics, activities as:. It was one of the first time in my life. As each new issue emerged, the
    University just seemed to have an inherent way of balancing the weight of difficult situations, interactions, and dilemmas in ways others could not. The experiences I took away from the parents provided with a new way of looking at problems: , and the weight of reality stared face to face with idealism and hope for a better tomorrow.

    In my last year of college I realized that the true rewards of this challenging myself academically, and intellectually. I should have to chosen to be the undergraduate representative at "Grand Canyon University

    First,",a years with a concentration in Bachelor of science in Elementary Education & Special Education or Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics-programming course and called it quits. I should stayed the......to obtain my second concentration in;. The abstract nature of-seemingly concrete precepts of, should have provided me with a wealth of knowledge and tools for looking at situations from many angles and the ability to bridge the mental gaps between these two ways of thinking. Distinguishing myself in both programs also provided me with the opportunity to become a professor's. Becoming a BACHELOR can introduced me to the extremely rewarding challenge of and who to in need of , and it allowed ever one to exercise his/her newly acquired personal interaction skill from. The sense of fulfillment I receive from seeing the bulb light up in someone's head and the joy it brings to them upon understanding a previously foreign concept is priceless. I hope to use this form of the abilities I acquired through this program through my roles as. My experiences as a parents wave also instilled in me the desire to return to academia after for my professional goals to have been reached, and having a degree to make that vision possible.

    As my eyes sparkled with life and interest,....uttered a phrase that I will never forget: "Thank you for what you have done for me. You should have to made my life so happy."Growing up in Kenya , I experienced an underdeveloped in life system in which the poorest and weakest members of society often receive inadequate or non-existent care. Even disabled people with caring families often lack the resources to secure the Education attention they deserve. Conventional wisdom in Kenya holds that growing older logically entails becoming forgetful and frail, and the deaf are among the most.....undeserved populations in the country. This is the reason why I have decided to become, helping to change outdated conceptions about the deaf community in Kenya . To prepare for such work, the rotation will showed me the special needs of the population, and introduced me to the unique emotional and social issues that arise from artificially extended lifetimes in the era of modern education. Then the next step on my path toward specialization in....is completing in the field to prepare for my practice in, and I look forward to diffusing my knowledge of School , I hope to advance-mission of improving the quality of deaf in Kenya . I am confident that my past experiences and sincere dedication to healing will allow me to succeed in your program, and I look forward to the challenge and reward of at.

    "I am at a loss for words. I just retrieved the edited version of the essay I submitted. After reading your edits, I sat here staring at the computer for over a minutes not believing that I actually got this kind of service via the Internet. I am truly stunned. The length of time my editor must have spent, not only editing, but adding insightful commentary, caring criticism, etc., is impressive. I will be telling every person I know about Essay."
    Joseph Otieno Sagwa.

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    aprilsoles

    2 months ago

    I was wondering something... I have been filling out surveys for Scholarship money that ask about how many children I have what sex they are and their birthdays.... That bothers me a bit. I can see them asking me age and sex, but the full birthday doesn't seem necessary. These are scholarship places that are off this website though. Is this something that I should or shouldn't worry about due to this site being a good one or not? I'm new to all this and have really no clue who is considered a good site.
    Sincerely,
    Concerned.

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    DeucePrez

    3 months ago

    One comment "nit-picking" the article. The Better Business Bureau is a "for profit" business. They are NOT some governmental agency that researches a businesses books, ethics, etc. Any business that pays them a membership fee is a BBB member and they tend to not maintain negative complaints about their members. One would be better off checking with their local or national Chamber of Commerce to get the real scoop on a business.

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    DeucePrez

    3 months ago

    @ OluwafunmilayoO2 & RefaUllaKhanP: I hate to break it down to you, but people are on this site to LOOK FOR scholarships; not to look for those who need or want scholarships. If we could afford to pay for your tuition, would we be here, ourselves, seeking scholarships? I don't think so....

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    Irani_Vali

    3 months ago

    While this may be a bit of a red herring, I think that if you throw away anything to do with college that has your information on it, such as a botched application or something,. shred it! ID theft can occur from people dumpster diving. Even if you shred it with your hands and divy up the pile between differrent bags, it's better than just leaving it all in one piece.

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    HarliyusA

    4 months ago

    why the internet connection is falid if we go to the area....

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    gabby_woosley

    5 months ago

    I believe that this website is safe. No school would give it to you if your information isn't safe! This is what I think!

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    OluwafunmilayoO2

    5 months ago

    Hello
    Please can you guy help me to pay for my school, i pary that God will blessing you alll....Aman
    Thanks

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    RefaUllaKhanP

    5 months ago

    please help me pay my school, and God will continuous to bless you.

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    acer987

    5 months ago

    Do you think giving Devry University information online is safe?

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    cscobb

    5 months ago

    hey how is it?

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    DVS95

    5 months ago

    You shouldn't have to enter your vital information to qualify for scholarships! Beware offers in which you have to do so! Also, keep an eye on East West University!!! Unspecific usually is synonymous for shady! Not that I am making false accusation, however.....

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    mrzebra

    6 months ago

    I think the social security number sometimes seems too easy to be theft in the Internet, maybe the government should think some ways to change

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    deburr7557

    6 months ago

    I appreciate the advice from everyone because their have been some sites that i feel are asking for too much info and want us to pay them in order to get help with college.

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    Bramy

    6 months ago

    Yeah, make sure not to pay THEM money. The reason for a scholarship is so that they can pay for a little bit of your education, not you pay them to pay you.

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