I have a friend who is very proactive about her teenage daughter’s education. Her daughter is lovely, smart, active in sports, with a great personality and strong potential for a successful future. She really doesn’t like to read much.

My friend called to tell me that she received two phone calls this past week, each from a different company. They both were selling SAT & ACT review software. My friend asked how they had her phone number and was told that her daughter gave it at a website that the teen did not remember visiting.

My friend’s main concern was that if her daughter won’t open the books to study, she may not be motivated to work with the cd either.

My first thought was that if it’s fun, the teen could get enjoy it. My second thought was that my friend is probably right, her daughter would rather be at the beach than working with the software. It could go either way, depending upon the teen’s motivation and the software itself.

Then my friend began telling me about the conversation with the second company; how they guarantee to raise scores a certain amount - and that the first company couldn’t guarantee that high of a score. I reminded her that every teen is unique and there is no score guarantee for anyone.

I began to understand that she wasn’t comfortable, especially about this second company. So I Googled both companies.

And she was right. Both companies are in the same city, show scam complaints on Google, and have over 50 complaints filed at the Better Business Bureau.

It is so difficult to see companies try to take advantage of parents like my friend, who are so strongly involved in their teen’s education and future. So I would like to point out a few "red flags" if your teen has recently taken the PSAT or has attend a college fair:

If you find that you have been scammed in such a way, contact the Federal Communications Commission:
http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
 
and visit the Federal Bureau of Investigation:
http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/fraudschemes.htm#telemarket