Phishing scams

Phishing is a term used to describe sending communications (emails, texts, instant messages) with a link that takes you to a fake website designed to steal personal and identifier information. The primary delivery medium is email. It's relatively easy to spot a phishing scam as even though it can look legitimate on the surface there are simple ways to identify that it’s fake. Make sure you investigate beyond the title or body of an email and ensure the email address and domain are what you expect. Misspelling, poor punctuation and bad grammar are also often tell-tale signs of phishing.

Card payment scams

This involves the unauthorised use of your credit or debit card data (card number, billing address, security code and expiry date) to purchase products and services in a non-face-to-face setting, such as via e-commerce websites or over the telephone. Such attacks will commonly use compromised card details, perhaps obtained through a phishing scam.

Impersonation scams

These are often referred to as authorised push payment or bank transfer scams. This happens when the victim is tricked into making bank transfers to an account posing as a legitimate payee. Another level of impersonation fraud occurs when victim details are used by fraudsters to apply for financed goods, services, or financial products. Such details can be obtained from phishing attacks or social engineering.

Money mules

Organised Crime Groups are recruiting thousands of young people into their money-laundering networks each month as they seek to use their legitimate bank accounts to ‘clean’ their illegal funds. These are known as ‘money mules’. By using money mules, criminals try to ensure that the consequences hit the mule instead of them. Money mules usually get recruited because they get a cut of the stolen money. This means they are involved in money laundering. This is a serious criminal offence, with a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.

What to look out for

• Advertising a property that doesn’t exist
• Requesting a deposit before you’ve viewed the property
• Scammers posing as landlords
• Fake communications about missing payments
• Renting out properties in poor or unliveable conditions
• Landlords not meeting legal obligations and infringing on the rights of the tenants.

How to protect yourself

• Only rent a property through reputable sources like well-known letting agents and landlords registered through local accreditation schemes or the University
• Visit properties in person, view them properly and check the interior of a house or room before handing over any money
• Avoid cash payments - legitimate landlords will accept traceable bank transfers. Make sure that they are using a Deposit Rental Scheme for your deposit so that you're protected.
• Research average rental price in the area
• Have a written tenancy agreement so that you're legally protected, especially when getting your deposit back
• Don’t feel under pressure to make a decision or a payment if you’re not sure. Speak to the Students Union Advice CentreLink opens in a new window before committing and handing over any money.

What to look out for

• "Can I use your bank account, please?" - Fraudsters and/or other students may approach you either in person or via social media. They will ask you to process a payment from a bank account/credit or debit card for their tuition fees and then once the payment has been successful, they will ask you to get the educational establishment to refund the money. The fraudsters will likely coach you about how to do it or may even do it themselves using your email account. Once the refund has been completed, the fraudsters may give you money or other incentives.
• Fake messages that looks like they’re from a legitimate organisation, e.g., tax refund from HMRC
• Text messages or emails from HMRC advising you are due a tax refund and you need to provide your personal details

How to protect yourself

• Request a number to call back. Usually, a fraudster will never give out their details. Do not share anything over a phone call.
• Never share bank details with anyone
• Avoid ‘too good to be true’ deals, such as unsolicited offers of easy money, discounts, jobs or visas
• Avoid sharing any details about your University login credentials with anyone, especially with strangers or any third party
• Do not share or confirm any personal information like your name, pin code, address, phone number, or date of birth. Fraudsters often have incomplete information about you and reach out to fill in the gaps to conduct a scam.
• Check the quality of the communication or website. Misspelling, poor punctuation or design and bad grammar are often tell-tale signs of phishing. Be suspicious of emails or text messages asking you to click a link or confirm information about yourself.
• Look for words like warning, urgent, important, deportation, threats, deadline. Tactics are often employed to scare victims and make them transfer funds immediately. Stay calm, be aware and sceptical of such scams and seek help if you’re unsure.
• Resist the urge to act immediately and never transfer funds to someone you don't know
• Report anything suspicious as soon as you can

How to protect yourself

• Use two-factor authentication
• Keep your software and anti-virus protection up to date
• Check that links come from a trusted source – do not click them if you are unsure
• Use strong and varied passwords, and never share them
• Back up your data (Office 365: OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams). Your Warwick shared drive or H: Drive are all suitable places to back up your files.
• Remember to keep the backups secure.
• Protect your mobile devices - keep anything like laptops, tablets, and phones that have professional or personal data on secure at all times. Lock your devices (digitally and physically.
• Stay informed on cyber securityLink opens in a new window