TL;DR: First-gen students navigate financial aid without prior family experience. Complete financial aid only through the official studentaid.gov site, and use your school's free financial aid office rather than a paid outside advisor.
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First-gen students navigate financial aid without prior family experience.
Common Tactics Used
Fake financial aid 'advisors' charge fees for services the school provides for free, and phishing emails impersonate the FAFSA process to collect personal information.
How to Protect Against It
Complete financial aid only through the official studentaid.gov site, and use your school's free financial aid office rather than a paid outside advisor.
What Family and Friends Can Do
Sudden secrecy about money, unusual withdrawals, or a new online relationship that stays undisclosed are all worth a calm, judgment-free conversation. The earlier a scam is caught, the more can usually be recovered.
If this looks similar to something else you've seen, it's worth reading Scams Targeting First-Time Investors.
This pattern shows up elsewhere too — see Scams Targeting Foster and Adoptive Parents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are they specifically targeted?
First-gen students navigate financial aid without prior family experience.
What tactics do scammers use?
Fake financial aid 'advisors' charge fees for services the school provides for free, and phishing emails impersonate the FAFSA process to collect personal information.
How can they protect themselves?
Complete financial aid only through the official studentaid.gov site, and use your school's free financial aid office rather than a paid outside advisor.
What should family or friends watch for?
Sudden secrecy about money or new online relationships, unusual withdrawals or wire transfers, and reluctance to discuss a new "opportunity" or contact in detail are all worth a gentle, non-judgmental conversation.
What should I do if I think this has already happened?
Stop all contact and payments immediately, report it to the appropriate authority, and contact the bank or payment provider involved to see what can be recovered.