U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl warned college students Tuesday to be wary of credit card marketing ploys involving free T-shirts, blankets and food, saying they can lead to mountains of debt.
Kohl spoke to about two dozen students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, touting a bill that would place new limits on credit cards for college students. He complained about direct-mail offers sent to students and kiosks on some campuses where companies offer freebies to students for signing up.
“Be very cautious,” said Kohl, a Democrat. “Don’t be enticed by a free sandwich or something. A lot of it is just plain common sense.”