Should You Enter Scholarship Contests & Sweepstakes? 10 Sniff Tests to Help You Decide

 By Willette Coleman

 

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There's a Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On!!!  That’s what one of the innovative African American Rock n’ Roll creators, Lil Richard, sang.  A similar message could be said for scholarship contests and sweepstakes.  In this case, the message would be… there’s a whole lotta scammin' going on.  Scamming in the sense of applicants’/contestants’ information being curated solely to steal for nefarious purposes, and/or to sell. 

While scholarship contests and sweepstakes look like an easy way to get money for college or technical school, these “quickie” offers are, rarely, based on merit (academic achievements, standardized test scores, an essay), or need.  Students simply complete an online form and answer a few questions.  Sounds good.  “I can get a lot of scholarship money for little to no effort,” a student might say in her or his thought bubble.   

Yes, they look easy, but there’s a reason, U.S. News reported.  It could be a ploy to access personal information to market - relentlessly - to students, sell their information (address, parents name and occupation, even, although rare, Social Security number) to other companies, or post personal information on the “dark” web where there’s a whole lotta DANGROUS shakin’ going on.  It’s “the seedy underbelly of the internet where criminal activity thrives,” Law & Money said.  The most vulnerable to these “quickie” applications are students who are pressed for time (i.e., have a child/children; working multiple jobs, and so on).  

Before continuing, let’s take a moment to think about data collection when students enter information to participate in scholarship contests/sweepstakes.  Personal info is archived in an NPD database.  (This also applies to when we go about doing other business - internet purchases, school applications, posting messages on social media, completing online medical and/or banking/financial applications, using apps, etc.) 

National Public Data (NPD), a private Florida-based company, collects information for background checks.  It holds nearly 3 billion people’s full name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, phone number, alternate names, email addresses, passwords and usernames, according to krebsonsecurity.com.  So, how are students (and all of us) vulnerable?  NPD was hacked (they benignly call it “security incident”) in April 2024.  In May 2023, nearly one million Medicare beneficiaries’ personal information was exposed in a data breach.  Reportedly, every bit of that information became available for purchase on the “dark” web.  {cnet.com guides you/us to Check if Your Social Security Number Is Included in the National Public Data Hack.}  Furthermore, National Public Data Published Its Own Passwords.  Breaches or hacks of any website, which confirms there's no such thing as “secure” websites, makes it easy for scammers to impersonate someone (spoof their email) or create sophisticated phishing emails.  Also, keep in mind that every time you use your phone to scan a QR code, somewhere your personal data is being collected.  “The more data companies have about your whereabouts or your activities, the more risk that information could fall into the wrong hands…” Shira Ovide cautioned in her “Tech Friend” column.

 So, entering scholarship contests/ sweepstakes, all willy-nilly, could be riskier than is obvious.

Although scholarship scams are less common than other scams, the Federal Trade Commission receives hundreds of consumer reports each year, according to its 2023 report that also addresses the perils of “how to reduce loan debt relief” scams.  

To deceive students (even parents/caregivers) scholarship contests/sweepstakes scammers use clever language and official-looking branding to advertise attractive awards, anywhere from $500 to $2,000, sometimes more.  “No Essay” scholarships, which,  for the most part, are considered legitimate, are extremely attractive, but some could be intended only to attract a large number of entries, knowing the entrants have as much of a chance of winning the scholarship as a Popicicle has surviving 110-degree heat. 

So, should you dive into scholarship contests/sweepstakes murky waters?  Like many of life’s decisions, it depends.  While some may be worthy prospects, BE MINDFUL!  Put on your critical thinking cap.  Engage your olfactory system (the smelling part of your nose) and take a sniff test.  It’s wise to do the sniff test with all scholarship sponsors. 

Here are 10 smelly things to SNIFF out before taking the plunge. 

1.     Typos, spelling or grammar mistakes.  If you spot more than one simple human error, blow your nose and sniff elsewhere. 

 

2.     Invasive questions.  If at all possible, NEVER!!!!!  NEVER!!!!!  EVER!!!!! submit your personal address and, especially your social security number.  Suggestion:  For those who can afford the expense, some students rent a P.O. Box.  Also, depending on the Post Office, renters can use its physical/street address. 

 

3.     SNIFF out whether the company/organization/entity/provider/sponsor has been flagged by anyone or a government entity.  In a search engine, type the title of the scholarship and the name of the provider/sponsor and add the word “scam” or “complaints.”  Someone might have posted a bad, illegal or unethical experience.

 

4.     Speaking of “flags,” SNIFF out whether the sponsor is listed in good standing with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).  I engaged my olfactory system and checked the Better Business Bureau (BBB) when I came across a SallieMae.com scholarship offering $2,000.  For over a decade, Sallie Mae had been a federal government-funded public initiative that supported education, but it switched to a private entity in 2014.  Although it still touts scholarships, it’s primary focus appears to be on loans.  On BBB, I saw where numerous complaints had been reported to the agency.  Uh-oh!  A message read:  “Due to the volume of complaints filed against this business [Sallie Mae], BBB only publishes the details for 15% of the total complaints filed.”  Of course, that meant 85% remained, indicating hundreds of unhappy and frustrated people.  So, sniffing around would have saved me from high blood pressure from the stress of being anxious and dissatisfied, were I a student.

  

5.     SNIFF out the sponsor’s physical address and/or phone number.  If there’s nothing at the bottom of the “About” page (there should be one) or on any of the site’s pages, put the entity’s name in a search engine and add “location,” “physical address,” or “headquarters” to the key word(s).  Anyone offering scholarships should show some contact information other than an email address and social media.  Ideally, a named contact person should be identified.  If nothing shows up in any of your searches, blow your nose and sniff elsewhere.

 

6.     SNIFF out

  a) the sponsor’s Board of Directors and/or staff, and inspect Board members’ bios, credentials, and

   b) look for a list of past winners.  (Alas, if it’s a scam, the list of winners could be fake.)

 

7.     “Tell us about yourself.”  Sometimes, unexpectedly, that message will fill your screen and block your access to any scholarship information until you fulfill the request.  Hmmmm.  To me, it smells a bit fishy, in that such messages seem unnecessary, as well as being annoying.  

 

     The “Tell us about yourself” message jumped out at me on bold.org (not a contest/sweepstake) when I was prospecting for scholarships for my network of parents, educators and students.  Its boldfaced, large font headline offered a $2,000 scholarship ($2,000 seems to be a pattern).  But, instead of downloading a page supplying information about the scholarship, it (of course) invited me to “join.”  I didn’t want to join.  I wanted the information first.  But, since it blocked me from going forward to access information, I clicked “join” and up jumped the “Tell us about yourself” message.  Why are they asking for information they don’t really need….yet?  Supposedly, it’s to “help” students in their scholarship search.  But, if a student’s focus is to get pertinent information detailing the rules, requirements and procedures to apply for the scholarship, soliciting information from students before first providing details is a waste of precious time.  Those details could help a student decide whether she or he want to give up personal information to “us” (whoever the us might be).  Bold.org claims it is the “#1 Scholarship and banking platform” and asserts “We'll help you find the funding opportunities best suited to you and efficiently apply.”  An array of praises for the organization spans across multiple sites, but, some could be fake, as reviews can be bought.  So, these kind of controls make my nose twitch.  Other scholarship search entities, like fastweb.com doesn’t block students from scholarship descriptions if they choose not to “join.”

  

8.     NEVER PAY a FEE!!!  If the sponsor asks for your credit card, even for 99 cents, don’t waste your time or a penny.  If you’re going to waste your money, play the lottery.  (Your chances of winning might be greater.)  BEWARE of “guaranteed” scholarship search services, especially those that charge a fee.  Some claim they’ll refund your money if you’re dissatisfied.  Yeah.  Right.  As finaid.org noted, they might “pocket your money and disappear…”  Again, blow your nose and sniff out another sponsor.

 

9.     Confusing and contradictory language carries the aroma of suspicion.  Muddy or convoluted requirements and instructions, even for any scholarship, should NOT pass your sniff test.  Sponsors’ instructions should be readable, understandable, clear.

      

10. TURN YOUR NOSE UP and shake your head to any message that shouts:  “YOU’VE BEEN SELECTED!” for a scholarship you never applied for.  Common sense should tell you to DELETE the message.  Flag it as “spam,” AND report it to the Federal Trade Commission, and to a little known government agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and, again, BBB.  (Also, check these agencies for paid internships.)

 

The sniff test takes time, but it’s worth your peace of mind and wellbeing in the long run.

 

Now, after you’ve done nosey-ing around and choose to enter a scholarship contest/sweepstake, READ ALL of the requirements and instructions…..CAREFULLY!!! As the saying goes, “The devil’s in the details.”  And, keep track of your entry process.  Software is available for this task, but to save money you can create our own tracking system on excel, or copy a sample here.  If you want to shop for more creative options, type “FREE scholarship binder” or “scholarship portfolio” into a search engine and hundreds of imaginative examples of how to organize will download.  Be sure to include the key word “free,” since some are for sale, albeit affordable.

 

While this post specifically addresses scholarship contests/sweepstakes, students need to beware of other scholarship scams, as finaid.org cautioned in Common Scholarship Scams and How to Avoid Them - Finaid, stating that, “Every year, several hundred thousand students and parents are defrauded by scholarship scams.”  

Thousands of scholarship contests/sweepstakes travel throughout cyberspace.  Don’t let desperation or anxiety suck you in and put you a risk.  Take the sniff test before entering.  In an interview, Thorn Klosowaski, security and privacy activist for the Electronic Frontier Foundation said, “We all have pretty good scam indicators, we just don’t always have them on.”

~ P.S.~ 

You’ll note that I suggest imputing information into search engines when needed.  You’ll also note that I didn’t name any specific engine.  That’s because there are many worthy ones.  Ones that provide alternative and more helpful information.  So, what I’m saying is Google is not the only search engine on the block, or, on the planet for that matter.   

 

Although it monopolizes the search world (or hold all the cards, so to speak), Google, with exclusive agreements with companies, it’s generally pre-loaded onto devices. An informative Reddit post titled: “Unmasking Google: The Rigged System That Favors Giants Over Genuine Content offers insight into Google's "rigged system." The brand is so invasive, without thinking, it’s become a popular part of our daily conversation, instructing people to “just google it.”  In my experience, Bing.com (serviced by msn.com) engine has provided information on a specific topic Google doesn’t provide.  But, nobody says “just bing it or “just Ecosia it,” which is listed in pcmag.com’s article, Go Beyond Google: The Best Alternative Search Engines for 2024.  (Ecosia.org is “the search engine that plants trees” it says on its web page.)    

 

However, in maintaining control, installing alternative search engines like duckduckgo.com may be blocked (almost forcing users to use Google).  Should that be the case, there’s plenty of Internet help that solves the issue.  Just search “my computer won’t let me download (browser’s name).  

 

Meanwhile, the entity’s monopoly and content discrimination is being prosecuted in an anti-trust case against Google by the Justice Department.  Software analyst, Michael Muchmore, reported, “A judge has ruled that Google has a monopoly on online search because it paid partners [like Samsung and Apple] to make its search engine the default on phones and mobile browsers.”  Consequently, Android, Chrome May Split From Google in Antitrust Case, according to the computer magazine pcmag.com. 

 

Magic, Miracles & Blessings,

 

Willette