Back-to-School Scams: Get Educated on How Fraudsters Fool Families
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University student Ariana Duval responded to a job ad that was supposedly for a university research position.1 The ad led to a job offer. The new "employer" told her to purchase office supplies with her own money through a specific app, and then the university would reimburse her with a check. When the check bounced, she realized the "employer" wasn't her college, but a scammer — and the app wasn't a real store, but a front run by the scammer. She was out $2,400.
Fraudsters reliably appear where the economic activity is. And from kindergarten to college, back-to-school season generates a lot of spending. For 2024, the National Retail Federation projected $39 billion in back-to-school spending — $875 per household — for K-12 students and $87 billion in back-to-college spending — $1,365 per student.2
Scammers target back-to-school dollars in many ways. Duval was a victim of an employment scam, but other back-to-school frauds include student loan forgiveness scams, housing fraud, imposter schemes, and the ever-popular online shopping frauds.
Here's what parents and students of all ages should know about back-to-school scams as they head into fall.
Types of Back-to-School Scams and How to Avoid Them
While scammers continually invent new ways to entrap victims, these are some of the more common, recurring back-to-school scams — and how to stay safe from them.
Fake School Supply Websites
This common online shopping scam leads victims to a fake e-commerce website that may mimic an existing retailer or be an unknown brand selling supplies at steep discounts.3 The websites may collect payment and never deliver the product — or deliver supplies of a fraudulently low quality.
Stay safe tips:
- Shop with known, trusted retailers.
- Make sure there are no typos in the retailer's website address or anything unfamiliar that could indicate that it's an imposter.
- Be suspicious of too-good-to-be-true deals on back-to-school supplies.
- Know your credit card's fraud policies, and always pay for online purchases with a credit card that offers purchase protections. Never use payment apps, gift cards, or cryptocurrency with an unknown retailer.
- Look for a lock icon in the website address bar to ensure it's a secure site.4
Fake School Supply Ads
Clickbait ads that appear on websites or social media can lead to fake retailer websites.3 Or they can direct users to a malicious link that downloads unsafe software onto the victim's device to steal information or control of the device. Either way, they typically feature too-good-to-be-true deals on popular back-to-school items.
Stay safe tips:
- Open a separate window and search for the supposed retailer and the word "scam," "review," or "fraud" to see if anyone else has had a poor experience.
- Search for the retailer on the Better Business Bureau website to find complaints or BBB accreditation.5
- Hover over the ad without clicking, and the website address should appear. Confirm that it looks legitimate and typo-free.
Test Prep Scams
Standardized test prep is a multi-billion-dollar industry.6 Scammers vie for a chunk of that spending with phishing emails or smishing texts to students and parents offering fraudulent test prep services or requesting payment for test prep materials their child had supposedly ordered.7 After victims pay, the scammers disappear, along with any hope of test prep help.
Stay safe tips:
- Never respond to an unsolicited message offering test prep services or requesting payment for test prep materials.
- Select a trusted test prep company through online research, BBB.org reviews and other satisfied parents you know.5
Social Media Scams
Unfortunately, some back-to-school scams target those seeking help with back-to-school needs. In one example, a mother of five in Texas asked a question in the comments of a Facebook post by a legitimate non-profit offering free shoes for families in need.8 A scammer responded, asking the mother to send her a private message for more info. The scammer then asked for a fake registration fee — and after the mother paid, the scammer tried to double the fee.
The National Retail Federation projected $39 billion in K-12 back-to-school spending and $87 billion in back-to-college spending for 2024.
Fortunately, the mother trusted her instinct that something was amiss at that point, and the non-profit stepped in to help. But the story shows how ruthless and brazen social media scammers can be.
Stay safe tips:
- Be skeptical of every interaction with someone unknown on social media, no matter what their profile says.
- Only make payments directly to a trusted organization in-person or through their website.
- Trust your gut. If something feels off on social media, it likely is.
College-specific Back-to-School Scams
While the back-to-school scams above target students of all ages and their families, college students have additional frauds to watch for. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that 20-somethings were twice as likely to report fraud or identity theft as those 80-plus.9 Young adults who are relatively new to making financial decisions are particularly vulnerable to scams.
Scholarship Scams
When scammers contact college students claiming to have scholarship money, it's extremely tempting to trust them.10 Unfortunately, the scammer typically asks for a processing fee and then disappears. Scholarship scams also include charging for access to a database of scholarships or inviting a student to apply for a scholarship but requesting an application fee.
Stay safe tips
- Don't respond to unsolicited scholarship offers. If you didn't apply, the offer is fake.
- Be wary of application fees. Scholarships are almost always free to apply for.
- Reach out to a guidance counselor or college financial aid office to confirm that the organization is real before responding.
School Job Scams
Like the example that opens this article, job scams targeting college students often attempt to get students to accept a job and pay for job supplies after depositing a bad check. Other job scams include fake listings that aim to collect sensitive info, work-from-home scams that help criminals process fraudulent merchandise, offers to give job seekers access to job listings for a fee, or even gamified cryptocurrency task scams, where victims do small digital tasks to earn a commission — after they make a deposit themselves.
Stay safe tips
- Never accept a job that requires you to spend money to apply, be onboarded, or to access tasks to do.
- Do not engage with a supposed employer who sends a check to deposit before starting a job.
- If the job promises "easy money" for tasks that seem to have no or little value, do not respond.
College Textbook Scam
This online shopping scam targets students looking for discounted college textbooks.11 Like other fake website scams, they accept money but do not send textbooks or deliver the wrong books.
Stay safe tips
- Buy textbooks from trusted booksellers.
- Check the bookseller's rating on BBB.org.
Housing Scams
Fraudulent housing ads emerge in college towns heading into the new school year.11 Scammers post fake photos and urge students to place a deposit quickly before seeing an in-person viewing or risk losing out. After the scammer receives the deposit, they disappear.
Stay safe tips
- Be wary of a sense of urgency from a prospective landlord.
- See every potential housing option in person before paying a deposit.
Back-to-school season is an exciting and busy time. Remaining cautious and resisting the urge to jump on urgent, too-good-to-be-true opportunities can help families avoid falling victim to scammers as they get ready for a new school year.
If you believe you or someone you love has been victimized by a scam, learn "What to Do if You Are a Victim of Fraud" in our fraud education and prevention hub.
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Important disclosure information
Asset allocation and diversifications do not ensure against loss. This content is general in nature and does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment advice. You are encouraged to consult with competent legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment professionals based on your specific circumstances. We do not make any warranties as to accuracy or completeness of this information, do not endorse any third-party companies, products, or services described here, and take no liability for your use of this information.
- Diane Wilson & Elayna Herrera, "Scammers target back to school shoppers; ABC11 Troubleshooter tips for ways to protect your money," ABC 11, published August 22, 2024. Accessed July 23, 2025. Back
- National Retail Federation, "Majority of Back-to-Class Shoppers Have Already Begun Purchasing School Items," published July 2024. Accessed July 23, 2025. Back
- Alexis Christoforous, "Back-to-school scams and how to avoid them," ABC News, published September 10, 2024. Accessed July 29, 2025. Back
- Better Business Bureau, "How to shop smart online," accessed July 23, 2025. Back
- Better Business Bureau, BBB.org, accessed July 23, 2025. Back
- Technavio, "Test Preparation Market to Grow by USD 16.28 Billion from 2024-2028, Driven by Online Test Prep Emphasis, with AI Driving Market Transformation - Technavio," PR Newswire, published February 7, 2025. Accessed July 23, 2025. Back
- Abby Miller, "6 back-to-school scams and how to avoid them," Norton, published August 14, 2024. Accessed July 23, 2025. Back
- Karina Hollingsworth, "Mother of five duped by cruel scam at back-to-school shoe giveaway," KTXS 12 ABC, published August 2, 2024. Accessed July 23, 2025. Back
- Federal Trade Commission, "Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024," published March 2025. Accessed July 23, 2025. Back
- Better Business Bureau, "BBB Tip: Beware scholarship scams when searching for financial aid," published May 29, 2025. Accessed July 23, 2025. Back
- Betty Lin-Fisher, "Young adults are major targets for back-to-school scams. Here's how to protect yourself," USA Today, August 21, 2024. Accessed July 23, 2025. Back