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Back-to-school scams targeting college students: How to protect yourself
Summary by The Houston Editorial Desk · Byline on the source page: Bill Spencer, Katherine Levens , as published by Click2Houston KPRC2 Local
· September 1, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: Click2Houston KPRC2 Local · view original
Story provenance No corrections
Summary created by The Houston Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Bill Spencer, Katherine Levens, as published by Click2Houston KPRC2 Local Original story Read at the source Source published Sep 1, 2026 Indexed here Sep 1, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
Every story comes with a passport. How we work · Corrections log · Publisher’s note
Key points Fake apartment listings and phony tuition texts are among the scams circulating. Scammers are targeting college students during back-to-school season, taking advantage of their financial decisions.
Scammers are targeting college students during back-to-school season, taking advantage of their financial decisions. Fake apartment listings and phony tuition texts are among the scams circulating. Students are asked to send deposit money for non-existent apartments, often listed near campus.
Fake online shopping deals are also a concern, with fraudulent listings for items like textbooks and laptops that never arrive after payment.
Further details on these scams and how to protect against them are available, including information on what to watch out for during this vulnerable time.
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Why this story is here
Click2Houston KPRC2 Local reported and published this story. The Houston selected it, summarised the key facts above, and links to the original. We did not report this story and we added no reporting of our own to it.
About this story
As published by Click2Houston KPRC2 Local . The Houston selects stories from publishers’ feeds, summarises them, and links back to the publisher that reported them. We add no reporting of our own. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
For the complete original report, visit Click2Houston KPRC2 Local . Have a tip or correction? Contact the editor .
Category: schools ·
Published: September 1, 2026 ·
Source: Click2Houston KPRC2 Local ·
Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? Scammers are targeting college students during back-to-school season, taking advantage of their financial decisions. Fake apartment listings and phony tuition texts are among the scams circulating…
When was this published? This article was first published on September 1, 2026 by Click2Houston KPRC2 Local and curated for The Houston readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Bill Spencer, Katherine Levens at Click2Houston KPRC2 Local. To learn more about how The Houston selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more schools coverage from The Houston, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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