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As student maintenance payments start to arrive in student bank accounts across the UK, there is an increase in the number of scammers targeting students.
Cyber criminals have been impersonating the Student Loans Company (SLC) via telephone calls (vishing), emails (phishing) and text messages (smishing) asking students to click on a link to change their bank details.
The SLC will never ask you to provide or verify your personal or financial information via text message. If you receive any messages asking you to click a link to verify any of your information, do not click and report the message immediately.
Here is an example of a smishing message:
If you’re in doubt, think before you click!
Things to look out for:
· Neither the Student Loans Company nor Student Finance England provide any services through WhatsApp and will never initiate contact with a student through social media channels including Facebook, X, Instagram or TikTok, to discuss an application or student finance entitlement.
· Scam emails and text messages are often sent in bulk at the same time and are unlikely to contain both a first and last name. They commonly start – ‘Dear Student’.
· Messages conveying a sense of urgency are unlikely to be genuine.
· Think about the information you share about yourself online, to help guard against identity theft. Identity theft can happen when scammers gain enough information (like your date of birth, name, course information and addresses) to impersonate you over the phone or online.
· SLC or Student Finance England (SFE) do send a text message to students in England if a change has been made to bank details. If you haven’t changed your bank details and receive a message like this, contact the company immediately.
You can read more guidance about avoiding scams in this Government guide or on the Action Fraud website.