Don’t fall for Tuition Fee Payment Scams
Tuition fee payment scams is on the rise with fraudsters taking advantage of new students who are considered vulnerable to financial crime scams.
This especially impacts overseas students needing to make tuition fee payments by offering to pay their fees at reduced rates or under special conditions.
They may request payment for ‘an international student tariff’, in some cases threatening to revoke the student visa if the payment is not made, or may create a fake email which appears to be from a genuine UK university, requesting payment for fees or informing the student of a change in bank account details to pay fees.
Never respond to these offers.
Fraudsters may present themselves as:
- government agencies
- legitimate agencies
- associates
- friends
The end goal of fraudsters is to persuade you to transfer your tuition fee payment to a place where they can get their hands on your cash. They don’t care who you are or that their scam could ruin your life, so be alert to the warning signs.
Once a scammer has your money, it can be impossible to get it back. Avoiding the scam entirely is your best form of defence against these threats.
How to avoid potential scams
To avoid these types of scams, you should:
- Be wary of anyone who contacts you out of the blue such as cold-calls, emails or texts and offers to make a tuition fee payment on your behalf, no matter how trustworthy they appear.
- Avoid companies offering tuition fee payment services or discounts that are not endorsed by the University. Ulster payments can be made via University of Ulster EPay
- Look for warning signs that an agent is not legitimate: requests for large upfront payments, offers to create false documents, refusal to provide references or charging fees for services that an educational instituion provide for free i.e. accommodation support. If in doubt, carry out independent checks;
- Do not share personal, banking or financial information with anyone who lacks a verifiable relationship with the University;
- Do not share University login details with anyone; and
- If you are having difficulty making payment or are concerned about the credibility of your payer, contact the Fees Office by completing the Tuition Fee Enquiry Form.
Pay direct to the university
Always pay your tuition fees direct to the University using approved payment methods.
Example Tuition Fee Payment Scams
To help keep you safe, we have provided some examples of the most common scams and areas of risk affecting students.
Scenario 1
"Let me help you pay your tuition fees"
You can be approached by a fraudster and / or another student either in person or via social media. They will offer to provide help to pay forthcoming tuition fees.
The frauster will either use your email account or their email account having collected all the payment log in details from you.
The fraudster will ask that you pay up to 10% of the fees upfront as an administrative fee.
Once received the fraudster will then initiate the tuition fee payment using a stolen bank, debit or credit details.
However the fraudster is well aware the payment is unlikely to be successful and will disappear before the payment is rejected.
Scenario 2
"Let me help you pay your tuition fees"
You can be approached by a fraudster and / or another student either in person or via social media. They will offer to provide help to pay forthcoming tuition fees.
The frauster will ask you to pay them in cash and in return will pay the Tuition Fees on your behalf.
The fraudster will initiate the tuition fee payment using a stolen bank or debit / credit details.
However the fraudster is well aware the payment is unlikely to be successful and will disappear before the payment is rejected
Scenario 3
"I have paid your fees in full"
The fraudster will appear to have made a successful payment by sending you a copy of the invoice shown the full payment made.
In reality, they have:
- made a successful £1 payment using a stolen debit or credit card
- altered the payment receipt or invoice
This is to make it seem like they have made a full tuition fee payment.
They will then ask you for an administrative fee of 10% and disappear with the money.
Consequences of being scammed
Money Laundering is a serious criminal offence and is treated by Law enforcement. Unknown to you, you may become involved in money laundering which carries severe penalties or there could be an enquiry.
Losing money through tuition fee payment scams can have serious consequences for your studies or admission processes and have a severe impact on your reputation and that of the institution.
Crooks on Campus Video
Below is a short video of an example of a scam whereby students are being actively recruited to allow criminals access to their bank accounts in return for money or assets.