The back-to-school period is fully underway, and it’s time to pick up new laptops, grants, and prep for your return. The only problem is that among all of those amazing deals, there are some seriously nasty scams waiting to trip you up.
Every back-to-school season, scammers set up fake websites advertising significant discounts on laptops, tablets, calculators, and other essentials. These deals are super appealing because they offer expensive hardware and school supplies at much cheaper prices, and who doesn’t love a good bargain? However, you’ll either receive counterfeit, inferior products or, in many cases, nothing at all.
Ads for these fake back-to-school deals typically appear on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, or through unsolicited emails or text messages. Red flags include unrealistic discounts (50-80% off), URLs with misspellings or unusual extensions, and sites demanding payments via cryptocurrency or wire transfers instead of secure payment gateways.
In short, as with most deals in life, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
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Tech Support Scams Targeting Students
Tech support scams trick students into believing their school laptops are infected with malware or viruses, prompting them to call a fake helpline or download malicious software. Pop-ups or urgent emails claim immediate threats and pressure students into granting remote access or providing financial details for supposed antivirus solutions.
The back-to-school period is a time when students (and parents) receive a huge number of emails from new sources. Targeting students unfamiliar with campus emails and regulations, new accounts, and otherwise, is a classic exploitation method that can grant attackers access to your data and accounts. Thankfully, there are a few ways to spot tech support scams before you
5
Phishing Emails Posing as Schools or Student Services
Scammers use emails that appear to come from trusted sources such as school administrations or financial aid departments, requesting login details or personal information under pretenses like urgent password resets, scholarship awards, or financial aid processing.
Now, some of these phishing scam attempts aren’t student or back-to-school-specific. They’re just the old phishing classics repurposed to fit new targets. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be keeping an eye out for phishing scams of this nature.
Of course, AI phishing scams are also now a major concern. Thankfully, although it’s easier than ever for scammers to use AI to push unique phishing scams live, you can still spot them using the same techniques.
For example, a 2023 study analyzing phishing emails sent to Cornell University found that although phishing emails reflected what you’d expect from campus life, they weren’t outside the common phishing scams everyone should know how to spot.
4
Job, Internship, or Money Mule Scams for Students
However, following on from those “common phishing scams,” students do have a specific type of back-to-school (and even post-school) scam to consider.
Fake job postings attract students seeking part-time jobs or internships. Scammers typically request payments for training, materials, or background checks. Some fraudsters send fake checks, instructing students to deposit them and wire a portion back, causing financial loss when the checks inevitably bounce.
Unfortunately, job scams have soared in recent years; vague job descriptions, sketchy domains, and upfront payments for internships are just some of the problems facing students.
There are a few giant red flags to consider when looking for an online job or internship. But it’s not always that simple. The BBB found that most of the scams reported to its BBB Scam Tracker involved lost money, fake invoicing, and similar, so it’s really important to consider those angles.
Similarly, the FBI advises that gangs often target students for money mule scams. Money mule scams typically use student accounts to move the funds from other criminal activities, luring students in with the idea that no real crime is being committed and that there are no consequences to handing over an account for these purposes.
But the reality is that money mules can still be prosecuted under money laundering charges, and it can severely damage your credit rating. It might seem like an easy way to make a few quick bucks, but the issues it creates can last for years.
3
Scholarship or Student Grant Scams
I must admit that I didn’t realize that this was an issue before I began researching for this article. As it turns out, the FTC has issued guidance on this, advising students on what to look out for; scholarship and financial aid scams are bigger than I thought!
Going to college, vocational school, or a certificate program can often help you move up in your career and make more money — but it can also be expensive. Scammers take advantage of that, saying they’ll help you get financial aid or scholarships to pay your tuition bills. Really, they’re just trying to take your money or steal your personal information.
Scams of this nature typically appear out of the blue. But like all scams, they promise well over the odds. Others will require an upfront payment to help process your application for a scholarship or similar; walk away if anyone mentions this.
2
Fake Apartment or Dorm Rentals
Scammers target students with fake apartment and dorm rentals for a couple of reasons. One, students are likely to be moving to a new city and out of state, so they may not be able to check out listings properly. Second, in the rush to find accommodation in a great part of town or near campus, red flags may be overlooked.
Facebook and Reddit are full of tales of students arriving at college, only to find that the downtown house share they paid upfront for doesn’t even exist.
International students are particularly vulnerable to fake rental scams. If you’re flying into a new country, finding housing beforehand is vital, yet many of the safety tips you’d normally use to check are impossible to carry out. A big part of the difficulty with student accommodation scams is that most of the time, you have to pay a deposit up front to secure your place. That alone is not uncommon. But as with any payment, you have to be extremely careful with who you send it to.
Many colleges and other educational facilities have approved lists, dedicated housing portals, co-operatives, and similar programs to help incoming students find housing without being scammed.
1
Fake Back-to-School Giveaways and Contest Scams
Now, thankfully, most back-to-school giveaways are legit—but you definitely need to be aware that some are trying to steal your data.
At worst, you might be contacted to say you’ve won a contest for some back-to-school supplies or a new laptop or similar, but need to pay a postage fee to receive the prize. The moment you input your banking details, the scammers begin accessing your account to drain your funds.
There are a couple of ways around this. One is to consider that giveaways hosted by random social media pages and Instagram posts are likely to be scams. Double-check the page offering the giveaway. What information do they require? If it’s more than a like, share, and comment, move on.
Second is that most giveaways have to have some form of rules governing the event, such as disclosures about the contents, how your data will be used, and typically the state laws surrounding lotteries and similar promotional events. Any giveaway offering prizes that doesn’t have at least some form of documentation around this is likely to be a scam. Again, close your tab and move on.