f a f s a . c o m

Paying for College
1

<p>Beware: The above site was just "reviewed" in our local paper's Action Line column:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11871331%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11871331&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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[quote]
Q Hi Dennis, I am so frustrated! I just spent an hour and a half filling out my daughter's FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). When I got to the end, they asked for payment and I realized that I'd been had.
I put all our very personal information — mine, my husband's and my daughter's ID numbers, etc. on this Web site (FAFSA.com) that has nothing to do with the government site.
I called them and (after waiting on hold and listening to obnoxious music for 20 minutes) they assured me they would delete my information.
I'm nervous though. Is there anything else I can do to protect our information?
You'd think the government wouldn't allow these types of scams.
D.F.
San Jose
A This a deceptive site, D.F. And it isn't free. You can't get the information back but you might want to report this to the government at the Internet Crime Complaint Center and the Better Business Bureau.
This firm is a member of the BBB and has been given an A+ rating. You might want to help change that.
The real government Web site is FAFSA.ed.gov.
Be aware that the ".gov," in an Internet address means it is a government site. The site you signed on to is a ".com,'' for commercial.

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2

<p>Wow.</p>

<p>That sucks.</p>

<p>D:</p>

3

<p>Posters here on CC, including myself, post warnings every year on CC not to make the mistake of using them and a couple of financial aid officers that post here have said that they often see problems with or don't receive the FAFSAs of people that use this 'service'. But despite the warnings people still continue to use them because they think they need help filling out FAFSA. </p>

<p>While I certainly would not recommend people use them, it would help if people took the time to read the information posted on websites (any websites) before they started using them. FAFSA.com has existed for years and the govt is aware of it. As long as they are clear that it is a service they are not breaking the law so reporting them will do nothing. It is not illegal to offer the service any more than it is illegal for people to ask you to pay for help in preparing your taxes. They do make it quite clear on the first page of the site that they are an advisory service, are not affiliated with the department of ed, and that they charge $79.99. Can people not read?</p>

4

<p>"Can people not read?"</p>

<p>Yes, I think that's the problem. People know that FAFSA is a federal form, see the bright yellow "File A FASFA Online Click Here" and do so, overlooking the pale pastel disclosure below. People are not careful, and marketers know what works.</p>

5

<p>People should be more careful next time.</p>