The Pitch: "Each year millions of dollars in scholarships are not awarded. Pay us $$$ and we will locate unclaimed scholarship dollars that you can win."

The reality is that there are very few "unclaimed" scholarships. Those that are indeed "unclaimed" have such specific eligibility requirements that almost no one can qualify. Plus, you can find thousands of scholarships on your own in books and on the Internet without paying a search fee. You'll also do a much better job.

The pitch: "You're a finalist in our scholarship. Pay us $$$ for your registration fee. You're guaranteed to win!"

The truth is that you are not guaranteed to win; or if you did win, the prize would be less than the registration fee. Real scholarships never require any fee from applicants.

The pitch: "Come to our very informative financial aid seminar, where you'll learn our secret strategies for scholarships found nowhere else in the world."

What you get: Seminars like these may actually be sales pitches for any combination of the above promises. Not all seminars are scams or rip-offs, so you'll have to use your own judgment. However, one warning sign of a scam is the seminar that sounds like a sales pitch. If you feel like the seminar is just a live version of a late-night infomercial, you are probably looking at a seminar where you will be asked to part with your money for what may be totally worthless information. And if the pitch contains promises that sound unfathomable, there's probably a reason.

The pitch: "You qualify for our exclusive, incredibly low-interest loan program. All you need to do is pay us $$$ to lock in the rate."

What you get: The truth is that you would pay the fee but not get the loan. Or you might get the loan, but the interest rate could be much higher than if you shopped around. There are plenty of legitimate student loans available through the Federal Financial Aid Program as well as from established banks and lenders. Check those out instead.

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