Studying abroad is an exciting adventure — you’ll get to meet new people, learn new skills and explore a new country. It can also be a time of uncertainty though, and although they’re rare, scams do happen, so it’s good to be alert to them. Scammers can target anyone, but if you’re unsure about local laws and customs, you can be more vulnerable.
However, with a little know-how, you can spot the warning signs early and protect yourself, so you can focus on making the most of your time overseas.
Phishing scams
A phishing scam is an email that is designed to trick you into giving away sensitive information. Typically, it will look like it has come from a person or organisation that you trust, like a university or even the government, but it is really from a scammer.
For example, some students have received an email that looked like it came from one of our university partners. The email claimed that they owed the university money in outstanding tuition fees, but it was actually a fake.
Although it might sound scary at first, once you know what to look for, these emails are very easy to spot.
First of all, you can check the sender’s email address. If it is legitimate, the email address should be connected to the same internet domain as the purported sender — for example, an address ending in .ac.uk for a university, or .gov.uk for the UK government.
Scammers will typically use a free, cloud-based email account like Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo, and sometimes, instead of a person’s name, the username will be a random string of letters and numbers. If the email address doesn’t look right, be cautious.
Secondly, scam emails often contain lots of spelling and grammar mistakes. Make sure to read the email carefully, or even run it through a spell checker. If it contains lots of errors, the chances are it is not from a legitimate organisation.
Finally, you should be suspicious of requests for information or money that you are not expecting. Typically, neither Kaplan nor our partner universities will make a request like this without having been in contact with you about it first. You should also be suspicious if the email is threatening, or demands that you take action immediately — scammers do this to try and scare you into doing what they want.
How to avoid phishing scams
- Be suspicious of unexpected requests for money or personal details
- Check the sender’s email address
- Check for errors
- If you are worried, do not click any links
- Contact the organisation through a trusted email address or phone number to confirm the email is legitimate
Accommodation scams
If you are looking for private accommodation for the duration of your studies, you might stumble across a fake rental listing.
This is when someone posing as a landlord or rental agency advertises a room or flat for rent that isn’t actually available. Typically, they will ask you for money to secure the tenancy before you have seen the property and then, when you have sent it, stop responding.
One way to avoid these scams is to book your accommodation through your study provider. In the UK, pathway students can book student accommodation through Kaplan and stay in a safe and comfortable residence managed either by us or a trusted third-party provider.
In the USA, your university will help you find a dorm room on campus. In fact, students at US universities are often required to live on campus for at least the first year of their studies.
In Canada, many universities, including our partners the University of Alberta and the University of Victoria, guarantee accommodation for first-year students if you apply before the deadline.
If you do decide to pursue private accommodation, these scams are fairly easy to spot — a legitimate landlord or agency will never ask you to pay a deposit without sharing any photos or further details about the property.
How to avoid accommodation scams
- Where possible, book through a trusted provider, like Kaplan or your university
- Do not pay any money before you have seen photos of the property and signed a contract
- In the UK, it is a legal requirement that deposits for private rentals are registered with the Deposit Protection Scheme. If a landlord or agent refuses to do this, think twice about paying them any money
Online marketplace scams
As you settle into a new home, you might want to buy some things for your room or flat. Online marketplaces like Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace and apps like Vinted are great places to look — after all, we all love a bargain!
However, similarly to private accommodation listings, these sites can be targeted by scammers. Often they will list an item that they don’t have or do not intend to sell, to trick you into sending them money. Then, they will either not send the item, or send something that differs significantly from the item listed.
One good piece of advice here is if it looks too good to be true, it probably is! If someone is selling a very expensive item very cheaply, it’s worth double checking before you hit “buy”.
If you are suspicious, arrange to pick up the item in person if you can and then only hand over the money once you have inspected it.
If that’s not possible, you can verify the sender’s identity by clicking through to any linked profiles, or check their customer reviews. If they have lots of positive reviews, that’s a good sign, if lots are negative, or there are none at all, think twice.
You can also open up a search engine and search for “company or seller name + scam” to see if anyone else has reported a bad experience.
How to avoid online marketplace scams
- Be wary of offers that appear too good to be true
- Pick up the item in person if you can, and bring a friend with you
- Verify the seller’s identity
- Check reviews
- Search the company name online
- Never give your bank details to an online seller — remember, they don’t need your account number or sort code to complete the sale
- Check online transactions are secure by looking for a little padlock in the address bar, next to the URL
- If possible, pay using a method with buyer protection, like Paypal, and avoid wire transfers
What to do if you think you have been scammed
If you think you might have been scammed, don’t panic.
For phishing emails, first contact the business or organisation through their official website, or call their helpline, to verify if the email was real.
If it wasn’t, and you clicked any embedded links, run an anti-virus scan to check for malware and change all of your passwords and pin numbers, especially for your email, bank account and online payment methods.
If you entered any sensitive information, such as your bank account number, register it right away with the relevant authority.
In the UK, this is Action Fraud for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or Police Scotland if you are in Scotland.
In North America, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), or the Anti-Fraud Centre in Canada. You can do this if you were taken in by a fake landlord or online seller too.
You can also contact your bank and ask for a ‘fraud alert’ or ‘payment freeze’ to be noted on your account — this means your bank will take extra steps to verify any transactions with you.
If you have already paid money to a fraudulent business or individual, let your bank know as soon as possible, as they may be able to stop or return the payment through a debit or credit card “chargeback”. If you paid money by bank transfer, in certain circumstances your bank may be able to refund you.
Any questions?
If you have any questions or would like our advice, you can reach out to us using our official contact form below, and a friendly advisor will get back to you.
