Back-to-school season brings new classes, new friends and new opportunities. Unfortunately, it also creates new opportunities for scammers.
A few simple steps such as verifying messages and avoiding rush decisions, can go a long way in protecting your family. Kimberly Reece, customer advocacy manager for Enterprise Fraud Management at Regions
Whether it’s purchasing school supplies online, protecting a child’s personal information or helping a teenager manage a first checking account, every stage of a student’s educational journey comes with unique fraud risks.
“This time of year can be stressful enough without the added worry of being scammed,” said Kimberly Reece, customer advocacy manager for Enterprise Fraud Management at Regions. “A few simple steps such as verifying messages and avoiding rush decisions, can go a long way in protecting your family.”
Elementary School
For many families, back-to-school shopping starts online.
From school supplies to backpacks and electronics, parents often rely on websites, social media ads and online marketplaces to find deals. Unfortunately, scammers know this.
“Scammers know you’re looking for a good deal,” Reece said. “They can create fake online stores that advertise products at unbelievable prices. But the merchandise never arrives.”
Tips for Parents
- Buy from trusted retailers and verified websites.
- Be cautious of social media ads offering unusually steep discounts.
- Consider the use of credit cards when possible
- Review website addresses carefully for misspellings or look-alike domains.
A good rule of thumb: If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Middle School
As students become more active online, protecting their personal information becomes increasingly important.
Cybercriminals sometimes target minors because their identities may remain unused for years, allowing fraudulent activity to go unnoticed. Criminals can use stolen information to create synthetic identities, open accounts and apply for credit.
“All parents want to protect our children – and their information,” said Lindsay Moryoussef, of the Enterprise Fraud Management team at Regions. “Schools collect significant amounts of personal data. But families should understand their role in keeping safeguards in place.”
Tips for Parents
- Monitor your child’s personal information and credit history.
- Consider tools that help monitor for misuse of personal information.
- Teach children not to share personal information online.
- Be cautious when completing school-related forms through unsolicited emails or text messages.
The FBI also continues to warn consumers about phishing and text-message scams designed to steal personal information through fake links and fraudulent websites.
High School
High school is often when students begin managing money independently through checking accounts, payment apps, part-time jobs and online purchases.
While these experiences build financial confidence, they also create opportunities for fraud.
First Step: Teach Financial Basics
Help students understand budgeting, saving and responsible spending. Financial literacy can help young adults recognize suspicious offers and avoid risky decisions.
Second Step: Protect Banking Information
Students should never share:
- Bank account numbers.
- Routing numbers.
- Debit card numbers.
- Online banking credentials.
- One-time passcodes.
The FBI continues to warn consumers about bank impersonation scams in which criminals pose as financial institutions and claim there is suspicious activity on an account. The goal is to obtain passwords, multifactor authentication codes or other sensitive information.
“Your bank has legitimate reasons for reaching out to you,” Moryoussef said. “But if there’s a sense of urgency and they ask for account information that doesn’t seem right, hang up and contact your bank directly using a trusted phone number.”
Third Step: Watch Social Media Activity
Social media remains a primary channel for scams targeting young people.
“Anyone of any age can be duped,” Reece said. “Social media is designed to encourage interaction, but not everyone online has good intentions.”
Students should be cautious when:
- Accepting friend requests from strangers.
- Responding to investment opportunities.
- Clicking links in direct messages.
- Sharing personal information publicly.
- Sending money through payment apps to people they don’t know.
College and Beyond
As students leave home, scammers often target them with fake job offers, apartment rental scams, scholarship scams and bank impersonation schemes.
Warning Signs
- Requests for upfront payments.
- Urgent demands for immediate action.
- Messages claiming an account has been compromised.
- Requests for one-time passcodes or login credentials.
- Offers that seem unusually lucrative.
“Remember: A legitimate bank will not ask customers to provide PINs, passwords or one-time passcodes through unsolicited calls, texts or emails,” Moryoussef said.
Back-to-School Fraud Prevention Checklist
✔️ Shop only on trusted websites.
✔️ Protect children’s personal information.
✔️ Monitor student banking activity.
✔️ Be cautious on social media.
✔️ Never share passwords, PINs or one-time passcodes.
✔️ Verify suspicious messages by contacting organizations directly.
✔️ Be wary of pressure, urgency and scare tactics.
Additional Resources from Regions.com
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The information presented is general in nature and should not be considered, legal, accounting or tax advice. Regions reminds its customers that they should be vigilant about fraud and security and that they are responsible for taking action to protect their computer systems. Fraud prevention requires a continuous review of your policies and practices, as the threat evolves daily. There is no guarantee that all fraudulent transactions will be prevented or that related financial losses will not occur. Visit regions.com/STOPFRAUD or speak with your Banker for further information on how you can help prevent fraud.