Scholarship and Grant Scams on Instagram
Fake scholarship accounts on Instagram target students with promises of easy grants and awards that require an application fee, personal data submission, or bank details to claim a prize that does not exist.
Part of: Scholarship and Grant Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Instagram's visually appealing format makes it easy to create scholarship announcement posts that look credible — a clean graphic with a reputable-sounding foundation name, a dollar amount, and an application deadline. Students who follow multiple college preparation or financial aid accounts may encounter several such posts and begin to treat them as routine, lowering their scrutiny over time.
The desperation that many students feel about tuition costs makes scholarship fraud particularly effective. An offer that seems like a reasonable application — especially when it carries the language and aesthetics of real aid organisations — can prompt otherwise careful individuals to submit personal information or small fees without adequate verification.
How this scam works on Instagram
A scam account posts a scholarship announcement styled like a legitimate foundation award, listing an impressive dollar amount, an application form link, and a deadline. The application form collects name, date of birth, Social Security number, school enrolment details, and sometimes bank routing information to 'deposit funds directly'. The form may also charge a small application or processing fee.
DMs to followers of education hashtags offer 'exclusive scholarships' the follower was specifically pre-selected for. The message is personalised enough to feel targeted, making the recipient believe they have a genuine advantage. Follow-up messages request additional documentation and fees over several weeks before communication ceases.
Stories featuring countdown timers and follower tags create FOMO-driven entries, maximising data harvested before the account disappears.
Common red flags
- Scholarship requires an application fee, processing charge, or any upfront payment
- Award requires your Social Security number, bank account details, or routing number at the application stage
- Foundation or organisation name is not findable on any official educational database or grant registry
- Account was created recently or has very few posts beyond the scholarship announcement
- DM claims you were pre-selected for a scholarship you never applied for
- Award amount is unusually high and requirements unusually minimal compared with legitimate scholarships
How to protect yourself
- Verify any scholarship through the official website of the awarding institution — search the organisation name plus 'scholarship' on .edu or .gov domains
- Legitimate scholarships never require application fees or bank account details during the application process
- Use established scholarship databases such as your school's financial aid office or government grant portals to find genuine opportunities
- Never provide your Social Security number to a scholarship contact reached exclusively through Instagram
- Report suspicious scholarship accounts to Instagram to protect other students
How to report it
- Report the account or post through Instagram's 'Report' feature, selecting 'Scam or fraud'
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov if personal data or money was shared
- Notify your school's financial aid office so they can warn students across the institution
Frequently asked questions
Do legitimate scholarship programmes ever reach out through Instagram DMs?
Genuine scholarship programmes advertise through official channels such as school financial aid offices, accredited scholarship databases, and verified organisation websites. An unsolicited Instagram DM claiming you have been pre-selected for an award is almost always a scam.