Over a third of students in the UK have been targeted by fraud, scams, and phishing.
Scams are designed to trick you into giving away money or personal information, with the false promise of being considered or gaining a job role.
Phishing is a particular type of scam that uses fake messages (like emails and texts) to lure you into revealing personal data.
These scams cannot always be easy to detect- but we’re here to support you.
Think you’re being targeted by a scammer?
What to do if you think you’ve been targeted by a scam, phishing or fraud.
If you’ve received a suspicious message, call, or email:
- Don’t click on links or share any information.
- Don’t respond — even if it seems official. Fake job scams can often appear professional, including names and contacts that appear as if they are ‘from’ professional companies.
- For example your bank, the police or the Home Office
Help! What should I do?
If you’re experiencing a scam or fraud, your Union and University are here to help.
There are a few different ways that we can support you that will suit your needs.
LUU Advice and Wellbeing (click here!)
University of Leeds Harassment and Misconduct team (click here!)
Contact the team to report an incident anonymously, or to speak directly with an advisor.
All support is confidential and there’s no pressure to make a formal report. The information you provide will only be used by the Harassment and Misconduct team to understand what you’ve experienced so the best support is provided.
Different kinds of scam
Scammers don’t just operate in one way, and aren’t just targeting students looking for jobs- here are the ways that you may be being scammed.
Tuition Fee Fraud
This scam is usually aimed at international students. You may be approached on social media by an agent offering to pay tuition fees on your behalf.
What to look out for:
- The scammer may have personal information about you including your name and where you are studying.
- They may tell you their service will give you a discount or better exchange rate.
- They may claim this is how most international students pay their fees.
- The scammer will make the payment, provide a receipt, then cancel the payment once you have sent them the money.
This scheme is a scam and you could lose your money. You should always use the University’s approved payment routes.
Read more about tuition fee fraud and scams targeting students on the Crimestoppers website.
Rent Payment Fraud
This scam is usually aimed at international students. You may be approached on social media and offered a fraudulent rent payment service.
What to look out for:
- The scammer may know personal details about you, including your name and where you are studying.
- They may say they are from your accommodation provider.
- They may tell you that if you use the service, you will receive a discount and/or a better exchange rate on your rent.
- The scammer will make the payment, provide a receipt, then cancel the payment once you have sent them the money.
If you’re unsure about how to pay your rent, contact your University residence or contact Leeds University Union Help and Support.
Yearbook Scam
This is a common scam which targets students. It usually is an email, but may appear by text, instant message or on social media.
Often it comes from an organisation called ‘myyearbook’, but there may be others.
What to look out for:
- The criminals request personal details such as your name, mobile phone number, personal and university email address, and profile picture.
- They may ask for a small fee, between £5 and £20.
- The scammers then use your bank details to set up transfers from your bank account.
Do not open the message, or click on any links. Delete it immediately.
If you have clicked on links or signed up, speak to the Student Information Service or IT Service Desk.
If you aren’t sure about whether something like this is true, ask your school, the Student Information Service or IT Service Desk for help.
Accommodation Fraud
You may be contacted on social media by someone pretending to be a landlord, or a current or former student, offering what looks like great accommodation.
What to look out for:
- They offer a too-good-to-be-true deal.
- They ask you to pay the deposit and rent in advance.
- When you go to view or move in, you find it belongs to someone else.
Don’t trust anyone asking you to pay money in advance, especially if you haven’t seen your accommodation or signed a contract.
Find out more about housing contract scams.
If you have any questions about your accommodation, contact your University residence or contact Leeds University Union Help and Support.
Visa Fraud
This scam is usually aimed at international students. You may be contacted by somebody claiming there is a problem with your bank account or visa.
What to look out for:
- They may claim to work for the Home Office UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), an embassy, the police, or another official authority.
- The telephone number or email address may appear genuine.
- They may have some personal information about you, including your name and where you are studying.
- They will pressure you to act quickly to resolve the issue.
If you are contacted in this way, end the conversation immediately. None of these organisations will contact you and ask for personal details or money.
If you have any concerns about your visa, email the Student Visa Advice team at studentvisaadvice@leeds.ac.uk.
More information about visa fraud and scams:
Bank Fraud
What to look out for:
- You may receive a call claiming to be from your bank saying you have been the victim of fraud.
- The scammer may say you need to move your money to a new account with their help.
If you get a call from what seems to be your bank, hang up and phone your bank from a different phone to check if there is a problem. Don’t call from the same device that the call was made on as this is part of the scam to make you think you are phoning the bank independently.
Your bank will never call you offering to set up a new account or suggest that you should move your money.
Your bank website will have information on fraud and scams and how they might contact you to warn you of anything suspicious. Check this information so you know how to recognise bank fraud.
Money Mules
You may be asked by someone to put money into your bank account and then transfer the money into someone else’s account. You might also be asked to withdraw the money in cash.
This is money laundering, which is a criminal offence. If you become involved and get caught, the consequences could be very serious.
What to look out for:
- Job offers that ask for bank details in advance without any interviews or applications. Use recognised job sites to avoid risks.
- People or organisations offering money that seem too good to be true – don’t trust anyone offering easy money.
- Anyone who contacts you on social media asking for your bank details so they can transfer money into your account.
- People saying they are having difficulty opening a bank account or have cash they want your help to keep safe by putting it in your account for a short while.
Watch a two-minute video about how to avoid being a money mule.
Parcel Delivery Scam
You may receive a message from a delivery company saying your package is delayed or needs a small payment to be delivered. You might be asked to enter personal and payment details or required to download an app.
What to look out for:
- A scam text message will often arrive as a mobile number, rather than from an official source.
- The request may be vague about where the parcel is coming from or what’s inside.
- You might notice spelling errors and unusual punctuation or capitalisation.
- If your message claims to be from Royal Mail, it’s a scam – Royal Mail do not ask their customers to pay fees in this way.
If you receive a message, don’t respond or click on any links.
Social Media Scams
You may be offered free tickets, supermarket vouchers, merchandise or other valuable items via social media.
What to look out for:
- Be wary of anything that asks you to click on a link and provide personal details.
- If a deal looks too good to be true – it probably is!
Never click on a link. Instead, visit a company/organisation’s official website directly.
Always be cautious of anyone asking you for personal information.
Being Threatened with Arrest
You may be contacted by phone or email from somebody claiming to be in a position of authority and informing you that you have committed a crime, or that your bank activity is suspicious. They will then ask you to pay a fine.
What to look out for:
- They may say they are from the police, Home Office UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) or another official authority.
- They will usually tell you it is an offence to tell anyone else, and that they are watching you.
- If you are unable to pay the amount demanded, you may be asked to take a video of you faking your own kidnapping to obtain ransom from your family.
This can be very frightening, but it is a scam. Do not respond, put the phone down and get in touch with the University’s Harassment and Misconduct team who can offer you support and guidance on what to do.
Fake Job Opportunity
You may be offered paid work to rate products as part of a survey and asked to buy the products before you start. This is a scam, not a real job opportunity.
What to look out for:
- You have to pay (usually £20) to buy the products and complete some online training so you can start reviewing the products.
- The scammers video call you on WhatsApp and seem professional as if it was a real job.
- They will then ask you to invest (sometimes more than £2,000) in some more products.
- Once the scammers receive your money, they are no longer contactable on WhatsApp.
If you think you are being scammed by a fake job opportunity, stop responding and block the number. Don’t send them any money.
If you are approached with a job offer, always check the company’s details and the official company website. If a ‘job’ asks you to pay to start, it’s a scam.
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