Back-to-School Scams: What You Need to Know

Recently, Kwame Raoul, Illinois’ Attorney General, issued an alert that scammers are increasingly targeting families during the back-to-school season. As parents and students scramble to purchase supplies, books and other items for the upcoming school season, scammers will use fake retail websites offering school supplies and fraudulent “expedited” FAFSA or scholarship services.

The Attorney General advises consumers to:

• Purchase through verified retailers only.
• Confirm website addresses before entering payment or personal information.
• Verify the price of items and unfamiliar businesses to confirm if the deal is “too good to be true.”
• Pay for online purchases with a credit card to enjoy Fair Credit Billing Act protection.

In addition to the Attorney General’s advisements, it is important to thoroughly review email communication to confirm the sender’s email address is a known sender and that the email is legitimate. These scams are costly and dangerous to consumers, as they often aim to capture sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers. Fraudsters use this information in further schemes such as identity theft.

As we head into the new school year, we’ve seen businesses also impacted by these types of scams. Scammers may misuse company names and logos, exposing businesses to reputational harm and consumer mistrust. It’s important for businesses to remind employees to exercise caution when making personal purchases on work devices or networks, as fraudulent sites can compromise corporate systems by exposing them to malware. Additionally, broader security training such as phishing, internet safety and data access are recommended ways to educate employees on these cyber risks.

Alongside the recommendations for individuals, we encourage businesses to stay vigilant and regularly reinforce their cybersecurity and fraud-prevention policies with staff. Companies should also strengthen their data protection policies and incident response protocols to identify and contain harm quickly.

As privacy attorneys, we help businesses navigate threats, from consumer data exposure to compliance obligations. If you have any questions about how scams like these can impact your organization or if you need guidance on strengthening your privacy and security, our team is available to assist.

You can find the full alert on the Illinois's Attorney General's website. For more guidance on fraud protection and cybersecurity, please contact McDonald Hopkins Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group's Heather Shumaker and Saili Hernandez.