YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Whether you are graduating from college, tech school or high school, the milestone could make you a target for scammers.

First, college graduates are likely to graduate with a student loan balance. That means scammers will send you fake student loan forgiveness opportunities. These can come in emails, texts or calls. You typically have to fill out a form and pay a fee. Some of these companies are real, but they may make false claims and have incomplete information, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Some may claim that they are working for you through the Student Loan Forgiveness Program, which is free to apply, but these companies will charge a fee.

Make sure you understand the terms of your student loan, who your loan servicer is and communicate with them.

In most cases, payments are due six months after you graduate.

Next, when it comes to job searches and applications, do your research. The BBB says con artists are skilled at drawing new grads in by promoting unrealistic wages for generally labeled job positions, such as “virtual assistant” or “customer service rep.” 

Rental scams are out there, too. Again, dig deeper. In many cases, scammers copy the photo and description of real property. Then, they post it online with their contact information and try to get a deposit and the first month’s rent from the victim, the BBB explained.

There are several more pitfalls for graduates like fake credit cards, scholarship and grant scams and ID theft. You can read more about those on the BBB website.