If you have a high schooler you know that we're currently smack dab in the middle of SAT season. Even though many colleges have gone test-optional for the coming year not many have gone test blind, which means that although your child doesn't necessarily have to write the SATs, they may want to, especially if the school they're hoping to go to has a low rate of admittance. Many students use SAT or ACT tutors or practice tests and guides to help them prepare for the standardized tests, but the Better Business Bureau is advising parents to be vigilant as there are many fake SAT prep sites that are posing as legitimate services.
According to the BBB, scammers posing as representatives of College Board or other educational organizations are calling students and their parents and asking to confirm personal information, including your name and address so they can send SAT or ACT practice materials. They report that these representatives are very convincing and often will have your student's name and information about their school.
Once they have your contact information they will then ask for a credit card number for a deposit for the practice material which they claim will be reimbursed once the materials are returned.
The materials never arrive and now these scammers have your personal contact information and your credit card information.
The FTC is warning parents to be careful when approached by anyone claiming to be from College Board. They state that College Board will never ask you to provide banking or credit card information on the phone or via email. They also suggest researching any company that claims to be an SAT prep company before paying any money.
“Make sure that it’s a secure site. You can see it with a little padlock icon in the upper right-hand corner of a desktop and there are ways to see if that’s a secure site because if you put in any payment information that’s not secure, somebody can get access to that,” said Tony Binkley with the BBB.
If someone calls you claiming to be a representative of a different SAT prep company, doing an online search and include the words "scam" and "complaint," the FTC advises to ensure they are legitimate.
College Board has stated on their website they will never solicit sensitive material including social security numbers or credit card numbers over the phone and if you do receive a call from someone claiming to be an employee requesting this information that you should report it immediately.
"The College Board does not make unsolicited phone calls to students or families requesting this type of information," they state. "Representatives of the College Board only make calls to students and their families in response to student-generated inquiries and/or to provide students and families with information about a test or program for which the student registered."
Asking those you trust, including your school, friends, teachers, and guidance counselors for recommendations of reputable companies is a great way to avoid being scammed by online SAT prep services.
This can be a stressful time for parents and students as they prepare for the next round of standardized testing and begin to prepare to apply to colleges. The last thing anyone needs to worry about is whether they have been scammed by a fake SAT prep site.
Source: Better Business Bureau, FTC, WVLT News, College Board