Starting college is an exciting milestone. It often comes with newfound independence, new financial responsibilities, and countless opportunities to meet people and explore new experiences.
Unfortunately, scammers know this too. College freshmen are frequently targeted because they're managing finances on their own for the first time and may not yet recognize common fraud tactics.
Employment Scams
One of the most common scams targeting students involves fake job opportunities. Scammers may send emails, text messages, or social media direct messages advertising flexible, high-paying jobs that require little experience. Once a student responds, they're often asked to provide personal information, pay upfront fees, or deposit a fraudulent check and send a portion of the money elsewhere. By the time the check bounces, the student is responsible for the lost funds.
College Phishing Scams
Students are also commonly targeted through phishing scams. These messages may appear to come from a university, financial institution, delivery service, or government agency. The goal is to trick recipients into clicking malicious links or sharing passwords, account numbers, or other sensitive information.
To protect yourself, it’s important to keep these things in mind:
- Be skeptical of unsolicited job offers that seem too good to be true.
- Avoid clicking links in unexpected emails or text messages.
- Verify requests directly with the organization using official contact information.
- Protect your online banking credentials and personal information.
NW Plus Credit Union offers tools that can help members monitor and manage their accounts with confidence. Through the NW Plus mobile banking app, members can use the CARDS+ feature to temporarily turn their debit card off and on, set up transaction notifications, review recent purchases, and monitor spending activity. These tools can help members quickly identify suspicious transactions and take action if fraud is suspected.
When going away to college, a little awareness can go a long way toward protecting your finances and your future.
Never share your account number, passwords, answers to security questions, or other account information. We will never ask you for this type of information when we call or email you. If someone claiming to be a NW Plus CU representative asks for sensitive account information over the phone or in an email, end the conversation immediately, and call us at 425.297.1000 or come to one of our branches to report the incident.
