Archive for June, 2009
Let The Scholar Beware: College Scams And How To Spot Them
If you’re on the hunt for scholarships student loans or grantsbeware! Scam artists are on the prowl for vulnerable students. The more you know the better you can protect yourself. Here are some common college loan and scholarship scams and how you can avoid becoming a victim.
According to FinAid a Webbased nonprofit resource for college students seeking financial aid victims of college scholarship scams lose 100 million annually to scam artists posing as legitimate grant foundations scholarship matching services or government agencies. Here are three of the more common ways con artists use to trick students.
Scholarship: Application Fee Required
Any scholarship application promising impressive results that requires a fee should raise a red flag. Even if the fee seems nominal in comparison to the potential return don’t be fooled. The most common schemes charge an application fee running anywhere between five and thirtyfive dollars. Applicants fill out the application and send a check. The scholarship never materializes and the check disappears. Even for a poor student thirtyfive dollars may seem a small loss. To the scammers howeverwho receive between 5000 and 10000 applications at a runthose “nominal” fees can add up to a big haul.
The Advance Fee Loan
The AdvanceFee Loan is another common scam. In this game of baitandswitch scammers pose as lenders offering a student loan package with an impossibly low interest rate. The only catch? Before disbursement the lender requires you to send in a “processing fee.” Other phony lenders may ask you to pay the tax on your loan up front. Don’t be fooled. If you mail off a check you’re unlikely to get anything in return.
You’ve Won! Bogus Scholarship Prizes
Imagine this scenario: you open the mailbox one day to find you’ve won a scholarship worth thousands of dollars! True you can’t remember entering the contest but you’re overjoyed. As you scan down the fine print you discover that a disbursement fee is required before you can collect the money. An uneasy feeling comes over you: the prize is substantial certainly a modest fee is no big deal right? Wrong. Remember small fees multiplied by thousands of victims can add up to big bucks for con artists.
The variations continue. Some insurance companies or brokerage firms offer purported financial aid “seminars”in reality nothing more than shady pitches for insurance or investment products. Other scammers bill themselves as scholarship search services and boast moneyback guarantees. At best they may send you a list of qualifying scholarshipsmore likely they’ll take the money and run.
How to Protect Yourself
By now you’ve probably noticed the common thread: if you have to pay for money it’s probably a scam. The most legitimate highquality scholarship matching services for example are usually free and available on the Web. Reputable student lenders never require a fee to look at your application.
If you suspect something might be a scam report it! If you’re still in school bring any suspect scholarship or loan paperwork to the attention of a teacher or guidance counselor. If you’re an adult you can lodge a complaint with the National Fraud Information Center NFIC or the Federal Trade Commission FTC. Don’t count on anyone else to report it for you: even modestly successful scams can turn a profit for years before anyone catches on.
Legitimate Financial Aid
If you know where to look you can find more than enough legitimate avenues of funding for your higher education. Check out Federal Student Aid FSA for reliable resources of college financial aid. An office of the U.S. Department of Education FSA provided 83 billion in new aid to 10 million postsecondary students between 2007 and 2008. Among their most important services FSA can provide you with a Free Application for Federal Student Aid FASFA the fundamental qualifying form used for federal and governmentassisted commercial lender programs the FSA processes 10 million FASFAs every year.
In additional to federal loans you may also qualify for federal grants. Grants are typically reserved for undergraduate students and are based upon need. While the government has deep pockets you may also be interested in private loans. Just remember when applying for a loan be sure you’re banking with a legitimate lender with some recognition.
Ultimately the best defenses against lt;a href=”http://edu411.orgcollegelt;/agt; loan and scholarship scams are good information common sense and clear thinking. Remember the basic rule of thumb: if something sounds too good to be true it probably is.
About the writer: Edu411.org is a career education directory for finding colleges and universities training schools and technical institutes. For more information about careers online education and campus based career programs please visit us at http://www.edu411.org”>www.Edu411.org” target=”_blank”>www.Edu411.org”>http://www.edu411.org”>www.Edu411.org.
Learn The Skills Of Massage Therapy At Body Mind Massage School
Massage therapy is a medical skill which dates back to the time when medical treatment has been created. With the advancement of medicine its logical and scientific base frequently improving the same goes with massage therapy. The latter has evolved into a distinguished type of treatment. Because of this fact there have already been schools which are teaching students essential training and knowledge. These schools are aiming to impart the proper skills of handling individuals who want to experience massage therapy. All throughout the United States you will be able to find a massage school which trains interested individuals the right skills of massaging.
A massage school teaches you how to perform massage therapy. You will be taught how to manipulate soft body tissues. This is done by kneading stroking pressing and squeezing. You will get to discover that there are more than a hundred various kinds of massage skills. Some of these are quite general while there are some skills which concentrate on certain problems. The major purpose of the therapy though is to relax soft tissues such as the joints skin ligament tendons and muscles. The person that you are massaging will feel more soothed and comforted as his mind and body is gotten rid of stress and tension. These are the wonderful sensations that you will be able to offer when you study at a massage school San Diego.
If you want to attend a massage school San Diego has various schools to offer you. One of these is Body Mind College which has been founded during the year 1988. This school for massage therapy is the first of its type. It has developed a program on massage training which is entirely different from current massage schools. Body Mind College is a massage school which does not limit learning within the corners of your mind and the school.
The skills that you will be discovering in this massage school will be brought to experience. You will be taught to take your knowledge to different levels. What is more you will be taught how to heal individuals through massaging. You will get to know the proper way of facilitating the processes of the patients mind emotion and body in order for you to provide a holistic massage therapy. When you learn from a massage school San Diego you will realize that the therapy is not just about fixing physical pains but also healing the spirit and the mind.
Whether you want to be a professional massage therapist or you just want to learn how to heal yourself learn at a massage school San Diego. You will be able to learn a lot of things when you attend classes at Body Mind College. This massage school allows you to gain knowledge and put it into practice. You will be taught that in order for you to provide your client with the best therapy you should be compassionate with what he or she is feeling. You have to empathize and reach out to the person since this is what your massage school San Diego teaches you.
Learn more about the massage school in San Diego at Body Mind College. There loads of stuff about the massage school that you are looking for.
About the writer: A massage school eaches you how to perform massage therapy. These are the wonderful sensations that you will be able to offer when you study at a massage school San Diego .
Information And Advice You Can Receive From College Financing Programs
You will find that many colleges offer special deals for teenage students to encourage them to choose a particular college. As this is mostly the case when you are considering any type of college you may want to find out what the college financing is.
Knowing the details of the college financing will provide you with the information that you need. While this financing can help you during your college years you should realize that you will need to pay this money back. As this point is one that you will need to face it is best to be clear on all of the details that are contained in the college financing.
There are many different government and private institutions who will be able to furnish this information you require. You should make sure that you have read all of the information that is provided. Then you can talk with your schools advisor or your family to find out how this college financing will affect you both during your college years and right after.
These matters will need clarification so that you can apply for the college financing your future college may need of you. You will find plenty of documents and applications that deal with this part of college life. To help you in finding your way through this maze the federal government has provided a helpful website. In this website you will find many useful links.
These links will let you see how to apply for the college financing loans. There is information about how to pay back your student loans. The consequences of defaulting are also presented to you in a clear manner. You will be able to find links to a variety of different college financing programs which have the approval of your state and the federal government.
As application procedures for these college financing programs can be some what confusing you will find many helpful links which will provide you with all of the information you require about applying. These sections will provide you with the type of documents you may have to furnish to have your student loan approved.
Since the process of going to university and college is very expensive it is always a good idea to check out the various student aid programs that you can find. The information and advice you receive from these college financing programs will help make your choice of colleges easier to think about.
About the writer: Muna wa Wanjiru is a Web Administrator and Has Been Researching and Reporting on Student Loans for Years. For More Information on College Financing Visit His Site at College Financing
