Where should I search for legitimate scholarships and how do I avoid scholarship scams?

Start local and specific, where competition is lowest: your high school counselor, your or your parents' employers, community foundations, religious and civic groups, and the college's own departmental awards. Free national databases and the U.S. Department of Labor's scholarship finder are good next steps. The core anti-scam rule from the FTC: you should never pay a fee to apply for or "unlock" a scholarship, and no legitimate provider guarantees an award or asks for your bank account to "deposit" winnings. Be wary of unsolicited "you've been selected" messages and seminars that pressure you to buy a service. Treat scholarship hunting like a part-time job of many small applications rather than chasing one giant prize.