BATON ROUGE, La. - The Better Business Bureau is warning college and high school students who hire “tutors” to do their class assignments. They’ve gotten reports about scams where tutors are making money by threatening to report cheating students.
Carmen Million with the BBB of South Central Louisiana said many kids are struggling in class and are going online to find a tutoring company that will help them. “Tutors” aren’t the material but are doing the work for them.
Million said some have reported paying a couple of hundred dollars for help with assignments for math and technology classes.
When students pay up, instead of tutors helping you complete your homework, the company instead demands more money by saying it’s for “additional research” or will make another excuse.
When you don’t pay them, the “tutor” turns on you and sends threatening emails or text messages claiming to contact your school and expose you as a cheater.
You can avoid the Homework Helper Scam by asking for referrals. Ask friends, family and teachers if they have any recommendations.
Some schools even offer Honor Society students as free or reduced-cost tutors. You should ask the tutor or tutoring service for references and contact them. Million said it’s best to talk to at least three references. Ask about their experience with the tutor and what sort of results they saw.
Lastly, it would be best if you decided on availability and rates upfront. Although some tutors may charge extra for additional sessions before a big test, this should all be discussed and negotiated upfront.