As a welcome — or welcome back — to Chico State and Butte College students, I wanted to use this week’s column to warn about some of the scams made just for you.
If you are a returning student, hopefully, you haven’t already learned some of these the hard way, as I almost did once.
When you’re looking for a decent deal on a rental, especially in a college town, listings are everywhere. You’ll also notice plenty of websites asking for your email address or phone number so that they can send options that meet your needs directly. These sites aren’t necessarily scams, but it’s important to read the fine print. Your contact info will likely get sent to other places that are nefarious.
The common one, and one I came inches from getting sucked into when I was 18, is a too-good-to-be-true deal where someone is moving out and needs a soon-to-be tenant to take over a lease. And sure enough, all you have to do is wire a payment to the person.
My rule of thumb is that if you are in the market, then you should be doing the soliciting. If someone reaches out to you and offers you a great deal on a place, be skeptical at best, critical even. I barely had money as it was, had I taken the bait it would have likely spelled disaster.
Don’t be afraid to ask a landlord questions and take notes if you have to. There are plenty of landlords and apartment managers out there looking to pull you into a lease agreement that gives you the short end of the stick.
Another common scam that targets college students is the fake unpaid tuition email or phone call. This is one of those classic scams that tries to make you panic and send money quickly before you have the time to think it through. Always check with the school directly about these matters.
Stay safe out there and have a good year.
Scam of the Week generally runs every Tuesday. Readers are welcome to contact reporter Jake Hutchison to report scams and potential scams they have come in contact with by calling 828-1329 or via email at jhutchison@chicoer.com.
