FAFSA Copycat / 'Pay to Apply for Aid' Site
Copycat sites charge to help you file the FAFSA (which is free) and harvest your and your family's sensitive financial and identity data.
Think a message like this reached you? You can check it right now.
What this scam is
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is free to file at the official government site. Scam sites mimic it, charge 'processing' or 'assistance' fees, and collect highly sensitive data — SSNs, financial details, FSA ID logins — for you and your parents. Some do nothing; others commit identity theft or divert aid. The 'F' in FAFSA is 'Free'; any site charging to submit it, or asking you to pay for a guaranteed aid amount, is a scam.
What it usually looks like
- A FAFSA-looking site charging a fee to file or 'help.'
- Requests for SSNs, financial info, and FSA ID logins.
- Guarantees of a certain aid amount.
- Ads/search links instead of the official site.
Common warning signs
- Any fee to file the FAFSA (it's free).
- Requests for parent/student SSNs and FSA ID passwords.
- Guaranteed aid claims.
- Non-official (not the government's) sites.
Example wording scammers use
“File your FAFSA the easy way — our experts submit it for a $59 fee!”
“Guaranteed maximum financial aid; enter your FSA ID and pay to start.”
These are illustrative examples written by ScamSplain, not real messages.
What the scammers want
- Fees for a free process.
- SSNs, financial data, and FSA ID logins.
- To commit identity theft or divert aid.
What to do
- File the FAFSA only at the official free government site (studentaid.gov).
- Never pay to submit the FAFSA or share your FSA ID password.
- Distrust guaranteed-aid claims.
- Get free help from your school's financial-aid office.
What to do if you already responded
- Change your FSA ID password and check your aid application.
- If you shared SSNs, use IdentityTheft.gov and consider a credit freeze.
- Report at reportfraud.ftc.gov and studentaid.gov.