Scams targeting students – Bath Spa University Scams targeting students The number of scams targeting students has risen in recent years, but there are ways to protect yourself from fraudsters. Be wary of people offering to pay fees on your behalf, often at reduced rates or under special conditions. Studying at university is an investment, especially for international students. It’s understandable to be tempted by offers of discounts, but these are likely to be a fake, and you could lose your money. Remember, you should only pay your university fees directly to Bath Spa University. For details on how to do this, visit How to Pay. If you make a payment in any other way, you could lose your money. Always report anything suspicious to the University. Message the team via MyServices for advice if you're unsure. Remember: making payments in any other way than the University’s recommended payment methods may result in a loss of funds. Types of scams Scams can affect students from all over the world. For example, a scammer might falsely use a university’s name and ask you to 'validate your account' or provide personal, security or banking details. We never ask you to confirm information in this way. Ignore such emails and report them as phishing. See how to report phishing emails in Outlook Scammers may reach out to international students to tell them they have a way to reduce the cost of university tuition fees. The person approaching you might be another student (at Bath Spa or elsewhere) or could be a friend or family acquaintance. Offers like these are usually part of a card scam. The scammer will offer to arrange a discount for you, by paying the university on your behalf. They may ask you to pay someone else, or use a website which could look genuine but is not. Everything may seem legitimate at first. The person may make the payment as agreed, but will often do so using a stolen card. The payment will then later be declined or declared invalid. The result is that you've lost your money and unknowingly become involved in illegal activity – and your tuition fees will still be payable. In recent years, fake emails pretending to be from the Student Loans Company (SLC) and other student finance organisations have been sent to students at UK universities. These emails falsely notify students that their account has been suspended due to incomplete information. They often contain a link to a fake website to gain personal details. Don't click on the links within these emails. Our team will never ask for your login, password, bank details or personal information by email. Around the three loan payment dates in September, January and April, fraudsters may target students to trick them into disclosing personal information to access their online accounts and steal their money. We never email you a link to pay your fees. All students are advised to pay online on our payments page directly or by international bank transfer using Flywire. Fraud and money mules University students are increasingly becoming targets for money mule schemes, a form of financial fraud that can have severe outcomes. What is a money mule? A money mule is someone who transfers illegally acquired money on behalf of others, often unknowingly taking part in money laundering schemes. They act as a middle person, moving funds between accounts to hide the money's origin and make it harder for authorities to trace. University students are attractive targets for several reasons: Financial need: Many students struggle with living expenses and tuition costs, making them vulnerable to offers of easy money Naivety: Less experienced in financial matters, students may not recognise the signs of a scam Access to bank accounts: Students typically have bank accounts that can be used for transactions International connections: International students may be asked to transfer money across borders, which is particularly useful for criminals. Recruitment: Scammers approach students through social media, email, or even in person with job offers or business opportunities Convincing story: They present a seemingly lawful reason for needing help transferring money Account details: The student is asked to provide their bank account information Money transfer: Funds are deposited into the student's account, and they're instructed to transfer it elsewhere, often keeping a small percentage as payment Consequences: The student unknowingly becomes part of a money laundering operation, risking legal and financial repercussions. Job offers that seem too good to be true Requests to use your personal bank account Pressure to act quickly or keep the arrangement secret Poor grammar and spelling in communications Requests to transfer money to unfamiliar individuals or companies Requests to hold funds on a short-term basis. Criminal charges and potential imprisonment Damaged credit score and financial record Difficulty opening bank accounts, phone contracts or obtaining loans in the future Compromised personal and financial information Student loan declined Potential expulsion from university. Be doubtful of uninvited job offers, especially those involving money transfers Research any company or individuals offering you work Never share your bank account details with strangers Never share your University login with anyone else If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is Consult the university's Student Awards Team if you're struggling financially or reach out to Student Wellbeing or the Student Union for advice. Stop all communication with the suspected scammers immediately Contact your bank and explain the situation Report the incident to local law enforcement and your university's finance department Seek legal advice if necessary How to spot fraud There are many different scams. Be suspicious of the following: The offer sounds too good to be true You’re asked to pay someone other than Bath Spa University The email asks for your bank or login details You're asked to send money in advance The email address seems unusual The email contains bad spelling and grammar You're asked to do something urgently to make you panic and act quickly. How to protect yourself If in doubt, contact the University for advice or visit Action Fraud for further guidance Never respond to any offers made online Be wary of approaches made on WeChat, Facebook, Instagram or any other method Never pay tuition fees through third parties. Only pay tuition fees directly to the University using the authorised payment methods on our How to Pay page Report any suspicious contacts to the income team, income@bathspa.ac.uk Never share personal information or login details with anyone Don’t be pressured into making payments because of an ‘offer expiring’. Criminals will try to rush or panic you to try to hide their fraud Never pay any type of tuition fee in cash to individuals or contacts through WeChat Report suspicious emails in your email client Use unique passwords for every service and store them securely in a password manager Set up multi-factor authentication on every personal account where it's available If you've been the victim of an attack, report it using MyServices Resources Visit the official website of UK anti-fraud campaigners Take Five to learn more about scams and how to recognise them. Review our student finance page for more information about fees, payments, and funding options. Report suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and suspicious text messages to 7726. Watch the fictional docudrama Crooks on Campus Need to get in touch? If you’re contacted by suspicious individuals or receive emails that you’re not sure about, please report them to us via income@bathspa.ac.uk If you have any queries about tuition fees or funding and you can’t find the information you need on our website, please email us via fees@bathspa.ac.uk If you believe you're the recipient or are the victim of an attack, please report it to our IT Security Team via MyServices. Related How to pay Tuition fees Student Finance Scholarships and bursaries