The back-to-college season brings excitement and new challenges for new students. While they embrace new places and faces, they also face financial pressures. Unfortunately, cyber attackers capitalize on this, targeting students and families with fraud schemes related to federal student aid. These malicious activities, including scams and phishing attempts, aim to steal personal and financial data through fake websites, emails, and calls. The ultimate goal is to deceive individuals into disclosing sensitive information like Social Security numbers, bank details, or Federal Student Aid IDs.

Common Warning Signs and Red Flags

1. Unsolicited Communication:

• Emails or phone calls claiming to be from the U.S. Department of Education or your financial aid office that you didn’t expect.
• Messages that pressure you to act quickly or face losing your financial aid.

2. Requests for Personal Information:

• Legitimate organizations will never ask for sensitive information like your Social Security number, FSA ID, or bank account details through email or phone.
• Be cautious of email links directing you to websites where you’re asked to enter personal information.

3. Suspicious Email Addresses and URLs:

• Phishing emails often come from addresses similar to official ones but contain slight misspellings or odd characters.
• Verify URLs by hovering over the link to see if it directs to a legitimate website (e.g., .gov websites for federal aid).

4. Grammar and Spelling Errors:

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