NYS Department of State shares safety tips for college students

ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 )– As students begin heading to college, vocational or graduate school programs, the New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection announced a list of scam prevention and safety tips to help students during the coming academic year. The safety tips range from common scams to identity theft to dormitory safety.

“Whether living away from home for the first time, navigating financial aid or building credit, students are often in new situations that make them vulnerable to potential scams,” Secretary of State Walter Mosley said. “Before heading back to campus, I urge students and their parents or caregivers to learn about the simple, but important, steps to take to help prevent identity theft, common scams and other safety risks that come with living on campus.”

The tips include:

Common Scams:

• Fake Scholarships, grants or loans : Visit FAFSA’s government’s website and don’t believe anyone who offers guarantees or pre-approvals for loans or grants. FAFSA is free.
• Unpaid Tuition Scams : Ignore calls claiming that you’ll be dropped from classes; always call the school’s Bursar’s Office directly to verify an account status.
• Fake Employment offers : Never pay an upfront fee for an interview or provide personal information during the application process.

Protect yourself from Identity Theft:

• Credit Cards : Students are often targeted with misleading credit card offers that could be a veiled attempt at identity theft.
• Keep all personal information private : Whether in your dorm room, online or social situation, keep all information and documents private and securely guarded.
• Understand the consequences : You can minimize the risks by protecting yourself. Criminals can use your personal information to build fake identity and restoring credit or correcting false information can be a costly and lengthy process.

College Dormitory Safety:

• Locate smoke and carbon monoxide detectors : Verify that all alarms are working properly.
• Never overload outlets : Students with laptops, televisions and mini refrigerators can overload an outlet and spark a fire.
• Review emergency plans : Know where to meet and if there is an emergency call 911.

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