The current environment has allowed repugnant fraudsters to target our most vulnerable in a range of scams which, as of 20 March 2020, have led to approximately £960,000 being stolen from individuals. The City of London Police have reported a 400% increase in coronavirus-related scams and 105 crimes have been reported to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for crime and cyber-crime. Many of these scams are ones we have seen before such as phishing sites or nasty malware attacking your computer. Others are related to online shopping scams involving highly sought-after items such as face masks and … Read the rest

It has been brought to our attention by the Visa & Immigration Student Advice Service that many international students have recently become targets of a telephone scam. Students have reported receiving a call from somebody claiming to be from the Home Office who tells them they haven’t paid for an immigration service and must pay a fine or risk being reported to the police. The callers have become progressively insistent and forceful in their attempt to get students to make payments.

The number they call from appears to be the real Home Office number (020 7035 4848), however this is … Read the rest

There is a new phishing scam which is targeting students via email.

If you receive an email claiming that you have won an education grant from the Department of Education, please do not click on any links or submit any of your details.

If you, or anyone you know, have been affected by this fraud or any other scam, report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.

Don’t forget that our Advice Centre (open Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00) is always on hand to offer you support on a variety of different issues.

 … Read the rest