Wow! You just got a letter from a company saying they'll find scholarships for you. What a great deal! After all, who has time to research scholarship opportunities? But be careful — there are a lot of scholarship search scams out there. Watch for these crooked claims and make sure you're not being taken for a ride: "For a small fee, ...

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 ...

It sounded promising at first. The financial aid seminar that advertised a secret scoop on how to fund your education. The generous scholarship you qualified for without ever applying. But now you suspect the offers may not be legitimate. So what should you do if you think you're faced with a scam? 1. Protect your wallet. Trust your gut in these ...

Knowing these warning signs can keep you from being a scholarship scam victim. 1. Fees: You shouldn't have to pay to search for or apply for scholarships. Check out the free scholarship search at FastWeb.com. 2. Credit card or bank account information needed: You should never have to give credit card or bank account information to award providers. 3. Scholarship guarantee: ...

Scholarships are a valuable part of college financing. But you may be surprised to learn that scholarships may actually reduce the amount of financial aid you receive from your school. Three national scholarship experts comment on this issue. • David L. Pardieck, director of financial assistance, Bradley University • W. Scott Friedhoff, Ph.D., associate provost for enrollment management, Bradley University • ...