The .edu links that are all from one scheme

The .edu links that are all from one scheme

Word is the .edu links padding certain profiles came from the oldest trick in the outreach playbook — the fake scholarship.

A brand posts a 'scholarship,' emails university financial-aid pages, and collects .edu links from their resources lists. Then it quietly kills the scholarship once the links are banked.

— Tell: the .edu links all sit on '/financial-aid/external-scholarships' pages, all with similar list formatting, clustered by date.
— Follow the link and the scholarship landing page is gone, thin, or redirected — proof it was link bait, not philanthropy.

Multiple profiles chasing 'trust' show this exact .edu signature. Auditors who see raw .edu count and nod are getting played.

The TLD impresses. The pattern indicts.

Watch this space.