In a recent incident the parents of an FSU student were contacted by phone by a company claiming to be connected to a University. The company, American Standard Financial, said the student had been awarded a grant in the amount of $5,000-$10,000. After asking a series of questions, as well as for the parent’s bank account number, the company said the parent just needed to send them a $350.00 processing fee. At this point the parent’s realized something was not right.

Be wary of any free money offered you by telephone, or any other way, as well as any other possible financial aid scams. Processing fees are never charged for any Title IV grants. Students should never provide bank account or credit card information over the phone unless they initiate the call themselves and trust the company they are calling.

If you are a victim of this or a similar scam:
1. Report the fraud to ED’s Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-800-MIS-USED (1-800-647-8733) or HHSTips@oig.hhs.gov.
2. Report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC has an online complaint form at www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams and a hotline at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357; teletype for the hearing impaired: 1-866-653-4261).
3. Notify local police about the incident. Impersonating a federal officer is
a crime.