How to Stay Scam-Free During Back-to-School Season

Navigating the back-to-school season is challenging and exciting, with families, students and teachers all busy preparing for the new academic year. This period, though, also brings an uptick in scams and other internet frauds targeting consumers looking for bargains on back-to-school essentials.

From fake retailers to deceptive savings and scholarship offers, faculty members, parents and college students must stay informed and watch out for scams.

Top 6 Back-to-School Scams You Need To Be Aware Of This Season

1. Fake Online Retailers

One of the most prevalent scams during this period involves fake online retailers who trick shoppers with enticing or too-good-to-be-true discounts on school supplies, textbooks, clothing and electronics such as laptops, smart boards, or tablets. These fraudulent websites aim to steal personally identifiable information and money.

How to Spot Fake Retailers:

• Check the URL: Ensure the URL begins with "https" and look for a padlock icon in the address bar.
• Stick to what you know: Always buy from sellers or retailers you know and trust, and avoid making purchases through unsolicited offers or unfamiliar websites.
• Verify contact info for unknown retailers: Authentic retailers will provide a physical address and customer service contact details.
• Check for reviews online: Look for reviews on independent platforms to gauge the retailer’s reputation and potential scam platforms.
• Avoid deals that sound too good to be true: Huge discounts on high-end products are a big red flag

2. Phishing Scams

Back-to-school phishing scams typically involve emails or texts that appear to come from reputable sources, such as schools or educational institutions. These fraudulent messages often request personal information or direct you to fake websites designed to steal your login credentials and financial data.

Related: Phishing Scams: How to Identify and Avoid Them

How to Protect Yourself:

• Verify the source of the correspondence: Contact the organization directly using known contact information before providing any personal details.
• Check for red flags: Common signs of phishing include poor grammar, generic greetings, and urgent language alongside requests for sensitive information.
• Use a security solution: Ensure your devices have up-to-date security software to help detect and block fraudulent and phishing attempts before they can cause harm.

3. Scholarship and Grant Scams

Scammers may also target students who need financial aid by offering fake scholarships or grants. These scams may require an upfront payment or personal information to apply, only to disappear with your money.

Related: Beware of Scholarship Scams: Protect Yourself and Your Peers. Share These Tips with Every Student You Know

Related: BBB Warns Students of Scholarship Scams

How to Identify Legitimate Scholarships:

• Research the organization: Verify the scholarship’s legitimacy through educational institutions or trusted scholarship databases.
• Be wary of fees: Genuine scholarships and grants do not require payment to apply and have a transparent application process.
• Seek advice: Consult with your school counselors or financial aid offices for advice on reputable scholarships.

Here are some additional insights on a similar scam that a victim reported to the BBB:

“I was first reached out to by email. Saying I needed to call them by the end of the day to get my student loan forgiven. I called because I plan on going back to school. They said they needed my card info and login info for my Federal student loan. I gave them all thinking they could get it fixed. Thinking this was a way to go back to school. I signed documents while the guy perstied me on the phone to sign them. I had no clue they were scamming me.”

4. Impersonation Scams

Impersonation scams involve individuals pretending to be school officials or other authority figures to harvest money or personal information. These individuals may claim to collect fees or verify student information.

How to safeguard your identity:

• Research:     Contact the school or institution directly using official contact details to confirm any requests for said information.
• Be wary of payment requests: Avoid payment requests via wire transfers, gift cards or crypto. These are most likely a scam.
• Don’t be fooled by professional language: Impostors are becoming more sophisticated and use professional language and convincing details to look like official government or school employees.
• Don’t provide sensitive info: Whether contacted via phone, email or text, never give out personal details to strangers who contacted you out of the blue.

Related: Imposter Scams On The Rise: How to Protect Yourself

5. Back-to-school giveaways and freebies

Other popular scams you need to be aware of include phony back-to-school vouchers for free shopping sprees allegedly won in raffles or online contests you don’t recall entering. These bogus messages ask recipients to visit a website and provide their contact details and other PII  to claim the so-called prizes. Once this information is filled out by the victim, he is directed toward another page asking for a small shipping or processing fee.

How to stay safe:

• Scrutinize unsolicited correspondence: Anything that sounds too good to be true is a scam. If you haven’t entered a legitimate online raffle or sweepstakes offering back-to-school vouchers or giveaways, then the messages are fraudulent.
• Check the legitimacy of online raffles: Check for detailed descriptions on the company official website
• Don’t pay upfront fees: Online sweepstakes, giveaways and freebies don’t request payment to claim the prize, and you should always avoid messages that say otherwise.

6. Social Media Scams

Social media platforms are also ripe for back-to-school scams, including fake promotions, contests, or fundraising efforts. Scammers may use these platforms to lure you with enticing offers.

How to stay safe on social media:

• Verify all offers and promotions: Check the legitimacy of offers by visiting official websites or contacting the organization directly.
• Be skeptical of unsolicited messages: Be cautious of unsolicited messages or friend requests offering deals or opportunities for the season.
• Report scams and fraudulent offers: To keep others safe report the scam to the social media platform, Federal Trade Commission and the BBB

To further upgrade your scam-fighting arsenal, add Bitdefender Scamio to your back-to-school list as well to protect against all the above scams and more!

Scamio is FREE to use and can pick up on fraud attempts from texts, messages, emails, images, and QR codes. Additionally, you can describe a suspicious situation and Scamio will provide you with an instant assessment on whether you may get scammed. Scamio is available on Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and your web browser. You can also help others stay safe by sharing Scamio with them in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania, Australia and the UK.

How Bitdefender can help you remain scam-free during back-to-school season

If you need help protecting your family members this school season, take a look at our all-in-one plans that can save you time and energy when dealing with e-threats. Your online safety is our primary concern, so no matter what all-in-one solution you choose, you get complete malware protection for up to 10 devices in your household, VPN with unlimited traffic, and a handy Password Manager. Additionally, Bitdefender solutions come with Parental control features that can help children regulate their online behavior and protect them from harm, as well as webcam protection features that identify whether your PC or laptop’s camera is being misused by others or unauthorized applications.