BOSTON — Originally reported by our affiliates at WSOC-TV.
A new scam has popped up in New England – targeting parents trying to prepare their high school students for college.
Especially alarming, is the scammers on the phone have a lot of information about their kids, making the scam that much easier to fall for.
Every spring, students around the country sign up for the SAT and ACT college tests. Many also sign up for legitimate courses to help them prepare.
“To date, we have received hundreds of scam reports,” says Paula Flemming with Boston’s Better Business Bureau, who confirmed that parents across New England are getting calls from scammers posing as representatives of some of those college test “prep courses.”
“Parents are told that their children have requested test preparation material. And they have information in regards to their child. Their name. Their age. Their high school address. And it makes it extremely believable,” says Flemming. “We all live in a digital world where it’s very easy to find this information online. And often times your children are the ones sharing this information via different websites.”
In many cases, the caller reportedly claims your child requested college test prep materials through their school. They offer to send one-month of free material to your home but need a credit card in case you fail to return the materials after 30 days. Well-intended parents oblige, wanting to help their children succeed, typically losing around $250 to the scam.
“It’s important to note that the college board would never ask for financial information over the phone or use pressure tactics to provide this information,” reminds Flemming.
One of the things scammers are banking on is that families are so busy, parents will fall for this scam without first checking with their child or school guidance counselor.
KIRO 7 is working to learn if this scam is happening in Washington.
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