Hunting for College $

Remember:

Parents on the lookout for ways tohelp pay for college are often lured byscammers who promise to scout outscholarship money for a fee. Collegefinancial aid experts like the gurus atFinaid (www.finaid.com) advise caution;much of the information that scammerssell is available free on the Web or atyour local library. Be especially leery ofsales pitches that ask for your credit cardnumber to hold a scholarship. Shamcontests are another common scam.You must apply for scholarships;they are never treated like prizes ina lottery. Legitimate scholarship searchescan be worth the effort; about one of 14students receives a scholarship from aprivate source, with an average payoutof about $2000.