NASHVILLE, Tenn. — These days lots of people are considering hiring a tutor.
"Yeah, I guess, depending on how well I'm doing in my classes," said Vanderbilt student James Murray.
"I think they're helpful If I need it for, like, extra studies on a particular topic," said Vanderbilt Student John Churchwell.
Many people find tutors online, but the Better Business Bureau is warning about a tutoring scam were, in some cases, companies will offer to either write a paper or complete the assignment for you.
"Which is cheating and not condoned in any way," said Caleb Nix with the Better Business Bureau.
In other cases, students think they're getting a real tutor.
They end up getting a completed assignment sent to them instead.
"Even though they never asked for it in the first place," said Nix.
In both scenarios, the scam artist takes your money, tries to extort you for more, and if you don't pay, they threaten to contact your school, exposing you as a cheat.
"If they're in college they could be out thousands of dollars in tuition and if they're in high school that could mean expulsion and a bunch of other different situations," said Nix.
Experts said students need to warn their friends and parents should talk to their kids "about the dangers of online presence and finding companies online," said Nix.
If you've fallen victim to this scam, first of all, stop paying.
Call the police and fill out a report.