How To Spot Education Scams And Protect Your Benefits!
Now is a great time to further your education or jumpstart a new career. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits help Veterans or their loved ones pay for college, graduate school and training programs. Unfortunately, Veterans are often a target of deceptive recruiting practices by educational institutions. Educational institutions may use predatory practices to manipulate Veterans into enrolling in misleading or fraudulent education programs that do not provide accredited degrees, transferable skills/credits and may deplete all education entitlements. During this back-to-school season, VA is committed to ensuring Veterans and their beneficiaries have the information they need to make informed choices about VA education benefits and approved programs. What are the types of Scams Targeting Your Education Scams Targeting Your Education Benefits
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Job Scams
Job Boards or Advertisements targeting specific demographics may be misleading or fake and require you to give personal information or money to get a job. You can find free, official information about federal jobs at usajobs.gov, FedsHiresVets.gov, and CareerOneStop.org. Your State’s Department of Labor may have job listings, contacts for local job offices, and resources for counseling and referrals.
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Student Loan Scams
Educational institutions may promise immediate student loan forgiveness or debt cancellation to entice Veterans to enroll in classes. For most borrowers, Loan Forgiveness is only available through programs requiring many years of qualifying payments or other qualifying criteria. Here is a list of student debt relief “do’s and don’ts” to help borrowers avoid Scams.
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Scholarship Scams
Educational institutions may “guarantee” Veterans a scholarship in exchange for a redemption/processing fee.
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Seminars
Veterans may be promised a scholarship and financial aid under the guise of high-pressure sales pitches where they feel pressured to pay a fee immediately or risk losing the so-called “opportunity.”
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Free Gifts
Veterans may be promised incentives such as free laptops, gift cards, or other “freebies” for enrolling in courses. How can you protect your education benefits? Choose GI Bill Approved Schools. Use the WEAMS Institution Search Tool to find GI Bill approved schools.Use the GI Bill Comparison Tool. Compare the benefits you’ll receive at different schools. Learn about the Principles of Excellence Program. This program requires schools that receive federal funding through programs such as the GI Bill to follow certain guidelines. Check out the National Resource Directory Database. This database provides validated resources that support recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration for Service members, Veterans, family members, and caregivers. Scammers may try to appear legitimate by using official sounding names, logos, websites, or showcasing a false affiliation with the VA.Find schools that take part in the Yellow Ribbon Program. This program can help you pay for school costs not covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. VA recognizes the importance of identifying unfair, deceptive and misleading practices toward Veterans and their beneficiaries pursuing a career. If you are receiving VA education benefits and suspect you are a victim of fraud, please contact the VA Office of Inspector General at VAOIG Hotline. You may also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission by visiting reportfraud.ftc.gov If you miss a VA benefits payment, identify a discrepancy in payments, or find suspicious activity with your direct deposit account, contact the VA immediately at 1-800-827-1000.
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If you know a Veteran who is in crisis, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and press 1.
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