(Ripley County, Ind.) - Ripley County Sheriff Tom Grills is giving a heads up to parents and students who may be filing their Federal Application for Student Aid.

Grills says students registering their FAFSA information online should be certain to navigate to the correct website, or risk getting scammed.

“All the characters in front of .com match the web address for FAFSA.ed.gov. FAFSA.ed.gov is a free site. Other sites may allege to help find money for college, but the companies make no effort to find grants or scholarships, but charge a fee,” said Grills.

One local student didn’t realize the difference in websites and was scammed for over $80, according to the sheriff.

“The Sheriff's Office encourages you to investigate any site, and ask questions, prior to doing business with any internet company. An important detail is to read the disclaimer information at the bottom of the main page on a website. If you have any information on scams, or information that is helpful to the public, please reach out to your local law enforcement authority, or media outlet,” Grills said.

By the way, the deadline for students to turn in their FAFSA application – a critical requirement of obtaining student aid for attending college – is Sunday, March 10.