Warning: Back to school is primetime for bad actors to try to scam students, parents; here’s what to watch for

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Back-to-school season is a hectic time of year, making it the perfect opportunity for scammers to capitalize. Here’s how to protect your personal data and money.

Everyone loves posting fun back-to-school pictures and sharing them online for friends and family to see. However, these posts often include personal data such as kids’ names, ages, schools, or teachers. This personal data can be taken by scammers. The Better Business Bureau of Eastern Carolinas warns against this.

“If you want to post a picture of your kid going back to school, just be very careful and very limited in the information that you’re providing,” said Alyssa Parker with the BBB.”Oftentimes, we see people will post it, but they may put a little emoji over all of that information, which is very personal and very detailed.”

College students are also being targeted, as the BBB has received reports of fake scholarship offers.

“The way this goes is students will get letters in the mail saying, ‘hey, congratulations, you’ve been selected for this scholarship.’ But all it asks from them is to send them money first so they can receive the scholarship. Maybe they address it as a fee for the scholarship or taxes, and they ask the students to actually pay before they can receive the scholarship,” said Nick Hill with the BBB.

If you receive a scholarship offer that you do not remember applying for, be wary. This is a huge red flag. You should never have to pay for a scholarship before receiving it.

For students and parents, back-to-school shopping is stressful. When online shopping, beware of fake websites. The BBB shared a few ways to make sure websites are legitimate.

“Be aware of any website that looks a little sketchy or has grammar errors. It may try to come across as, you know, a known company or a known brand. So just make sure that the website is legitimate,” Parker said. “And if you are purchasing anything online, make sure you do so with a credit card. They oftentimes offer more protection than a debit card.”

Another way that scammers target college and high school students is to go after those looking for a job. ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson explained how a college student lost $2,400 after she got an email about a paid research opportunity at her college. The email appeared to be from one of her professors. She got the job and was sent this check for office supplies. She cashed the check and then said she was told to send the money through a Cash App to a sales representative so she could get her office supplies.

It turns out it was all a scam. The email was never from her professor. Instead, it was from a scammer. The email she received came from a Gmail account, as opposed to ending in .edu. Her bank eventually told her the check was bad, and she owed the $2,400 back to her bank.

You really need to watch out for the red flags with employment scams, which include too good to be true offers, work remotely, and then when you are sent a check or money through a payment app, they want you to send money to someone else.