Social Media Lures To Apartment Deals, How Scammers Are Now Targeting Students Returning To Campus

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has warned college students to beware of scams that are looking to target them as they head back to campus, WFTV9 reported. Melanie McGovern, spokesperson of the bureau, has warned students that scammers are looking to steal their financial information and identity. The several scams that students may fall victim to include ‘credit card scams’, scams on social media, shopping scams, apartment scams, and more.

Students and their parents have been advised to be vigilant and protect their vital information and bank credit.

What is a credit card scam?

As per McGovern, one of the first things that students look for while heading to college is a credit card. The scammers are aware of this and they are trying to scam students into giving up their sensitive information.

Scammers are trying to steal information from students who are applying for credit cards. They are looking to get access to student mail and even retrieve information from the garbage cans. The BBB advises students to have their documentation sent to their parents instead of college dorms and check their credit scores regularly.

What are social media scams?

Kids who grew up with the internet aspire to become social media celebrities and earn money from various platforms. Scammers approach students on social media through private messages asking them to be an influencer for their product. These scammers ask the students to pay upfront for their products and steal their money.

What is the back-to-school shopping scam?

Back-to-school shopping is expected to reach a record level this year, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF), NBC Chicago reported. Capitalizing on this, scammers are using a wide variety of ways to try and steal personal information and money. As per the report, scammers are using pop-up ads, emails and texts with really low prices which link to phishing websites that steal people’s money and information.

Thus, the BBB recommends parents stick to businesses that they are familiar with and find trustworthy and thoroughly check the prices of products to not fall for any offer that is too good to be true.

Consumers are also advised to be wary of “clickbait” ads. Further, they can be safe by ensuring that the websites they are visiting are not phishing websites. This can be ensured by checking that the URL starts with “HTTPS,” and has a “lock” symbol on or near the address bar.

What are apartment scams?

According to FDAC, scammers are also trying to entice students with cheap and attractive rental offers on apartments. The most common housing scams targeting college students involve scammers listing homes that are not available. They then try to coerce students into paying a booking fee, a deposit or the first month’s rent before they even check out the accommodation in person.

Students are advised to be wary of listings that seem too good to be true. Further, they should never pay a fee, deposit or rent without seeing the interior and exterior of an apartment. They should conduct proper research both online and offline before indulging in any kind of payment or giving up any sensitive information.

How to safeguard yourself from such scams

1. Students should ensure that they don't give out personal or financial information to unknown individuals without thorough verification.

2. They should also research businesses and companies through credible sources before making payments, providing personal information, applying for jobs or making housing payments.

3. Students should also refrain from using unknown private networks or accessing private accounts and sensitive information on public Wi-Fi.