Guides · Staying safe
How to Spot an EMA Scholarship Scam
Scholarship money makes families a target. Scammers send texts, emails, and DMs that look official to get a fee, a gift card, or your EMA password. The good news: real Step Up For Students communications follow clear rules, so fakes are easy to catch once you know them.
🚩 Step Up For Students will NEVER
- Ask you to pay a fee, or pay with a gift card
- Ask for copies of your debit or credit card (for reimbursement or MyScholarShop)
- Text you asking for personal details
- Reach out by social-media DM for sensitive information
- Ask for your account credentials or banking info by phone, text, or email
The FTC puts it simply: no real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them. Gift cards are for gifts.
✅ What the real thing looks like
- Emails come from a @sufs.org address — and scammers often swap or add a letter, so look closely
- The only real login is the portal below — never a link texted to you
- Phone support is 1-877-735-7837, Monday–Friday 8–5 ET
Get a suspicious message? Do this
- Don't click, don't reply, don't pay.
- Open apply.stepupforstudents.org yourself to check your account directly.
- Forward a screenshot to reportfraud@sufs.org (that mailbox is for collecting reports — you won't get a reply).
- If you already shared info or think your account is compromised, call 1-877-735-7837 right away.
One more thing: using outside/third-party software with your EMA account isn't allowed and can expose your info — some scams pose as “helpers” offering to upload your receipts. Keep everything inside the official portal.
Want a wallet version? Print the safety card, or test a message now with the scam checker.
Sources: Step Up For Students Security Center (stepupforstudents.org/security-center/); FTC gift-card scam guidance (consumer.ftc.gov/articles/avoiding-and-reporting-gift-card-scams). Independent guide — always verify with the official sources; report fraud to reportfraud@sufs.org.