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There has been an increase in finance scams invovling tuition fees lately, with some students losing significant amounts of money.
In many cases, international听蝉迟耻诲别苍迟蝉听are听most commonly听targeted听by these听scams, particularly听around the time that听fees are due, so it's important you are familiar with the correct听payment processes and听stay alert听to warning signs.听Language barriers can also make it easier for fraudsters to exploit the urgency around payment deadlines.听
By staying vigilant, you can protect yourself and your money from fraudulent activity.听
Tuition fee听scams听involve criminals pretending to be legitimate payment agents or offering discounts on your fees. They may promise lower exchange rates or faster processing, but their real goal is to steal your money. Once you pay them, your funds听-听and sometimes your personal details听-听are gone.
Scammers may present themselves as government agencies, legitimate payment services, and associates or friends.
Common tactics include:
Unsolicited offers: Someone contacts you claiming they can pay your fees for less.
Pressure to act fast: Threats that听you鈥檒l听lose your place if you听don鈥檛听pay听immediately.
Unusual payment methods: Requests for cryptocurrency, gift cards, or third-party accounts.
Too good to be true: Promises of big discounts or guaranteed savings.听
The safest way for international students to pay tuition fees is through the University鈥檚 official payment channel, Flywire. This secure platform is designed to protect your money and ensure your payment reaches the University safely.听
Never use third-party agents or individuals who claim they can pay on your behalf for a lower cost - these offers are almost always scams.
Before making any payment, take these steps:听
Always pay through the secure Flywire payment portal which can be found on the . If someone suggests an alternative method, treat it as a red flag.
If you receive an email, message, or phone call about tuition fees, check that it comes from an official Abertay email address. If 测辞耻鈥檙别 unsure, contact finance@abertay.ac.uk directly before taking any action.
Never share your university login details, banking information, or personal documents with anyone other than official Abertay staff. The University will never ask for your password.
Scammers often advertise in student forums, WhatsApp groups, and social media pages. If someone offers to 鈥渉elp鈥� with payments or promises discounts, do not engage and report the message.
Fraudsters often pressure students to act quickly. If you feel rushed or uncomfortable, stop and check with the University. 滨迟鈥檚 better to delay payment than to lose your money.
If you think you have been targeted by scammers, report it immediately to Abertay鈥檚 International/Finance team.
Then, you should contact your bank as soon as possible to stop or trace the payment.
If you receive a suspicious email in your student email inbox, do not click on any links and do not reply, but let us know by sending the email as an attachment to cybersecurity@abertay.ac.uk.
You can also report the email directly but clicking 鈥淧hish Alert!鈥� button in Outlook.