Is a call or text saying my child won a scholarship real?

Probably not, especially if your child never applied for it. Federal agencies warn that scammers target families every school year with fake scholarships, grants, and student loan forgiveness offers. Real government agencies almost always contact you by mail, not phone or text, and never require payment over the phone to release financial aid.

Is That Scholarship Text or Call Real?

Short answer: probably not, especially if your child never applied. Real government agencies contact you by mail, not phone or text.

🎯 How exposed are you, really?Take the free 2-minute Scam Risk Quiz and find out where your own gaps are. Take the Quiz →

Why back-to-school season is scam season

Every year as school starts, federal agencies see the same spike: fake scholarship offers, fake school shopping deals, fake college housing listings, and fake student loan forgiveness programs, all targeting parents and students at exactly the moment money is already tight from school supplies and tuition.

A common version starts with a call or text claiming your child was picked as a scholarship finalist, even though they never entered anything. It sounds exciting, and that excitement is exactly the point, it's designed to make you act before you check.

The government almost always contacts grant and financial aid recipients by mail, not by phone or text. That single fact rules out most of these calls immediately.

What real financial aid contact actually looks like

It comes by mail, not a surprise phone call or text message.
It never asks for your Social Security number, bank details, or FAFSA login over the phone. Legitimate agencies already have what they need or will direct you to the official portal yourself.
No legitimate student loan payment is ever collected over the phone. If a caller asks you to pay anything by phone to "release" aid, that's the scam.
If a shopping deal or fundraiser claims to be from your child's school, call the school directly to confirm before paying anything.

If a caller claims to represent a government agency, the safest move is to hang up and contact that agency yourself using a number from their official .gov website, not one the caller gave you.

Source: WAVE3 — Federal agencies warn of back-to-school scams

Want the full playbook?

This is one trick out of dozens. The Scam-Proof Playbook covers phone call scams, phishing, AI voice cloning, and more, in plain language, with real examples.

Get the Playbook — $24 See Pro — $10/month Take the Free Quiz