Guidance

Scams: how you can avoid them

We want you to be aware of tactics fraudsters use and how to stop them from getting your personal details.

What scams do fraudsters use?

바카라 사이트˜Phishing바카라 사이트™, 바카라 사이트˜smishing바카라 사이트™ and 바카라 사이트˜vishing바카라 사이트™ are the three main types of scams criminals will use to try to gain access to your personal details. They can then use these details to sign in to your online account, steal information and potentially take your money.

  • 바카라 사이트˜Phishing바카라 사이트™ is any activity designed to trick you into giving out your personal details such as usernames, passwords and bank details - this is normally done by email.

  • 바카라 사이트˜Smishing바카라 사이트™ is any activity designed to trick you into giving out your personal details such as usernames, passwords and bank details - this is normally done by text message.

  • 바카라 사이트˜Vishing바카라 사이트™ is done over the phone when criminals impersonate a person or business and try to get you to provide your personal details.

How to spot a scam

Phishing, smishing and vishing scams can happen at any time and students can be targeted around payment dates at the start of term. Here are some of our top tips to spot them:

  1. Phishing emails are often sent in bulk and are unlikely to contain both your first and last name, they commonly start: 바카라 사이트˜Dear Student바카라 사이트™.

  2. Check the quality of the communication - misspelling, poor punctuation and bad grammar are common signs of bogus emails or text messages.

  3. Fraudsters will try to create a sense of urgency as a way of pressuring you in to giving your personal details. For example, they바카라 사이트™ll say things like 바카라 사이트˜failure to respond in 24 hours will result in your account being closed바카라 사이트™.

How to avoid these scams

We바카라 사이트™ve put together some tips to help you stay safe:

  • Keep an eye out for any emails, phone calls or SMS messages you think are suspicious, especially around the time you바카라 사이트™re expecting a payment.

  • You shouldn바카라 사이트™t post messages online that let people know you바카라 사이트™re getting your student finance payment soon, this could make you a target for fraudsters.

  • Always ensure that you바카라 사이트™re using a secure website when submitting sensitive information online and don바카라 사이트™t post personal info on social media pages.

  • Avoid logging in to your student finance account on public networks or computers.

  • If you receive a phone call that you바카라 사이트™re suspicious about, don바카라 사이트™t feel pressured in to giving the requested details. Call us on a number you know is genuine from our contact page.

If you get an email or text message about student finance that you think is a scam you should send it to us at fcpu_alerts@slc.co.uk. This allows us to close the site down and stop students from being caught out.

If you receive a phone call you think is part of a vishing scam, email us at furtherinfo@slc.co.uk. This will help us protect your account and keep your personal details secure.

Who is the Student Loans Company (SLC)?

SLC oversees student finance on behalf of the government and devolved administrations across the UK. They are the parent organisation of Student Finance England (SFE), and .

Updates to this page

Published 11 October 2019
Last updated 11 September 2023 show all updates
  1. Updated email address for reporting phishing emails to 'fcpu_alerts@slc.co.uk' as previous mailbox no longer in use. Also added information on 'smishing'

  2. Updated guidance to cover vishing scams.

  3. Removal of reference to 'we will never ask for personal/bank details via email'. Removal of link to SLC film.

  4. First published.

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