Student scams to watch out for
Arm yourself with the latest information and stay safe.
Today’s online scams are more sophisticated than ever.
Far from the threats you warned your Nanna about back in the day, scammers can now make text messages appear in your text thread with your bank, impersonate officials from government services with alarming accuracy, and convince you they’re the real deal with expertly forged documents.
The best defence against scammers is to be alert. Know about common scams and approach suspicious-looking communications with a healthy dose of scepticism. It’s not uncommon for students to be the target of scams, so watch out for these common ones.
Centrelink scams
Scammers have set up unofficial websites and social media accounts pretending to be Centrelink. They advertise bonus payments to help those on concession cards with the cost of living. If you’re receiving a government payment, any changes to your payment will come via a letter and a notification in MyGov.
Alternatively, scammers might call you and claim you have a Centrelink debt you need to pay off immediately by transferring money, cryptocurrency or sending gift cards. Centrelink will never ask you to pay a debt over the phone like this. Hang up and report the call to Centrelink.
Account access scams
Several higher education institutions have reported that scammers send emails to students alerting them about an issue with their student account.
They might claim that the student must verify their details to access the university library or keep their account from being deleted. Targets are then prompted to reset their password via a link from which the scammer steals their information.
If you receive an email like this, check with your institution that it’s legitimate, and don’t click on any links.
Scholarship scams
Scammers target potential students by sending official-looking paperwork informing them they’ve been awarded a scholarship. They ask them to provide banking details or make a payment to secure it.
Your higher education provider will never ask you to make a payment to accept a scholarship. Report this scam to the university right away.
- Related reading: The most common cyber security threats explained
What to do if you have been scammed
If you’ve been scammed out of your personal information or money, don’t panic. Here’s what you need to do next:
- Immediately stop all contact with the scammer and don’t share any more information.
- If you’ve transferred money or shared your banking details with someone, contact your financial institution immediately and explain what has happened. Ask them to block any transactions and cancel your cards.
- Contact your financial institution and other services that use your personal information, like the Australian Taxation Office, Services Australia, or your insurance provider and tell them what has happened. They will tell you what you need to do to keep yourself safe.
- Contact IDCARE, a free national service that will help you make a plan for managing the repercussions of having your personal information stolen.
We’ve all been taught to be polite, but you can forget about social niceties when interacting with scammers. Block, delete, report, and ignore any communication you think could be a scam.
Student scams can leave you feeling hopeless
If you have been scammed, make sure to check on your mental health. It’s easy to think you’d never fall for a scam, so you might feel embarrassed, anxious or hopeless if it happens, but remember it’s more common than you’d think. You don’t have to manage these feelings alone.
Mental health help is available if you need it via:
- Beyond Blue—either online or via phone at 1300 22 4636
- Lifeline—call 13 11 14 for acute crisis support
How to report a scam
Reporting scams helps prevent others from falling victim to them, and you might just help catch a scammer. Report scams to Scamwatch, an Australian Government initiative.
The Australian Signals Directorate website provides plenty of information on how to keep yourself safe online. It also runs ReportCyber, a portal you can use to report any cybercrime or online scams you encounter.
If you’ve been contacted by a scammer pretending to be from your bank, insurance provider, or university, you should also contact that organisation directly and inform them that someone has impersonated them as part of a scam.
Tips to stay safe
- Visit your bank’s website; they’ll typically list what they would or would not ask you to provide over the phone and keep you updated on scams.
- Never share personal details via email, SMS, or social media, including passwords, banking details, PINs or similar.
- Not sure if a call from your bank, university, insurer, or real estate agent is legitimate? Hang up and call them on their publicly listed phone number (like the one on their website).
- Check your university’s website regularly for updates on what scams are prevalent.
If you're an OUA student and you need to report a scam to your university, visit your LMS where there should be a link to student IT support. You can also contact an OUA student counsellor if you'd like to talk to someone about what happened.
