WESLACO – Back to school is a popular time for crooks to target college students.

Last year, more than 40% of students in the United States reported a loss after being exposed to a shady deal.

Financial aid, school supplies and tuition payments are reasons money flies out of their wallet at the start of the school year.

Cristobal Cisneros found out this year, you have to save.

The college freshman was also warned not only to save your money, but to also protect it from criminals.

“It's not fair to other people, getting their money taken away; they see us as more vulnerable," says Cisneros.

President of the Better Business Bureau, Dolores Salinas, says college students are viewed as an easy target.

"Simply because they're young, they're inexperienced and they may not know how to check out the validity and the ethical business practices of companies," she explained.

Salinas says the hard part is there isn't just one type of ploy targeting students.

She says students usually run into these issues when they are online looking for ways to save.

Watch the video for the full story.