The Internet provides us with very useful information that is accurate most of the time, but unfortunately con artists take advantage of this and use it as an opportunity to defraud people. So perhaps you have been scammed and are asking “Where do I report email fraud to the government?”. Let’s address that question.

First let’s define what email fraud is.

Email fraud is any type of deceitful offer that proposes you to act on a illegitimate offer. Some examples are; informing you that you have won the lottery or someone is in need of your help because they have inherited millions of dollars and they will share the money with you if you help them.

There are many scams on the Internet that try and fool you into giving out your credit card details or entering you banking passwords. If you feel your personal details are at risk you should contact your bank immediately. The offers that are being put forward are very appealing and catch many people because of this.

So where do you report email fraud to the government? You can begin by contacting the Federal Trade Commission. You can contact them via telephone or via email. Send the fraudulent email that you received along with any other relevant information to spam@uce.gov. You can also file a complaint online at: ftcComplaintAssistant.gov.

A “419” or Nigerian Letter scam include both impersonation fraud and money scams. These con artists represent themselves as foreign government officials or they are the partner or child of a very wealthy official. They then offer to share millions of dollars with you if you help get the money out of the country. Send information regarding Internet money scams to the United States Secret Service via email on 419.fcd@usss.treas.gov.

Get in touch with your local police department and give them copies of all the relevant information you have.

Go to ic3.gov/default.aspx to report a scam to the Federal Bureau of Investigations. The IC3 is the Internet Crime Complaint Center which will send out information to law enforcement agencies.

Whenever you see fraudulent activity on the Internet you should report it as every time someone does so, we are getting closer to catching these con artists. Cyber crime is on the increase and you can do your part to help reduce it.

This is the sixth installment in our identity theft series. Be sure to check back for updates…

According to our research, one of the most frequently asked questions regarding higher education is “What are the four main types of financial aid?” It is unfortunate that some people are unable to begin or complete their field of study because they simply do not have the money, but there are ways to address this in some form or fashion by using what is called financial aid. Here a look at the four most common approaches to this issue.

1. Grants:

This type of funding can be used for tuition costs as well as any other expense that is directly related to studying. These grants can be given by educational institutions, private organizations, professional associations, and federal and state governments. This type of financial aid is granted upon a student’s financial needs. Grants differ from loans in that they normally do not need to be reimbursed by the student.

2. Scholarships:

Just like grants these do not have to be paid back. They are awarded to students based on performance for certain merits such as sports ability, academics or music abilities. There quite a few scams for scholarships so proceed with caution. Never give you credit card details out for a “one-time fee” in exchange for a scholarship. You should always confirm with the school exactly what kind of scholarship programs they offer.

3. Student Loans:

These differ from the above mentioned in that these must be paid back by the student. Loans can be either subsidized or unsubsidized. When the loan is subsidized the government will pay off the interest owed. If the loan is unsubsidized the interest must be paid off by the student.

4. Work Study Programs:

This type of aid allows the tuition fees to be deferred by the student who works in a particular field at the same time as attending school. There are no loans involved so you won’t have to pay with money, but instead you will be paying with the work that you do.

Again, these are the common types of financial aid. Grants and scholarships involve no money on the student’s side, while student loans do. Work study programs have to be reimbursed by means of working for an organization which is exchanged for your tuition fees.

 With any type of financial aid there is a lot of paper work and organization that needs to be both initially will the application and once the aid has been granted. It is very important to start the process of getting funding as soon as possible as many of these financial aids work on a first come first serve basis. You could jeopardize your position and you may have to wait a full school year before you can start studying. You now know the answer to your question of “What are the four basic types of financial aid?”

This is the third installment in our student loan series. Be sure to check back for updates…