• A student scam is one which is specifically aimed at students, targeting them by the types of things they may need or be interested in. 

Let's go through these in more detail. 

Student Loan scams. These usually appear as phishing emails or text messages looking like they have come from a student loan company.  These will be plausible especially if the student has been looking into a loan or has already applied for one.  Unless the student is very clear on which company they have applied for a loan with, they might click on a link in an email or text which will take them to the fraudulent site on which they will enter their details.   

Student rental scam. Students usually live in halls during their first year but live off campus thereafter.  As many students live all over the country they may be looking at rental properties on line, and paying the deposit without visiting the property in person.  The scam is the property may not exist and, once the scammers receive a number of deposits for the same fictitious property, they close the webpages down. There will be no paper trail as everything was done without proper documentation and there will be no legally binding paperwork.   

Ticket scams affect students as well as the general public. Online ticket fraud is big business, and fraudsters prey on people who do anything to get a ticket.  Everyone will be looking for a cheap ticket or a good deal which is why this scam is so successful, but students do not have much money and will therefore be tempted by cheap tickets which are more easily affordable.  

• As with all texts and emails that contain a link, don’t click on it unless you are positive you know where it has come from. 
• Look up the company on an independent search and go directly to their website and make contact directly with them.
• Purchase tickets with a credit card which will offer you some protection.
• Beware of Pharming sites, which mimic genuine websites.
• Make sure the site you are on has the padlock symbol in the browser window.
• Look for reviews on the company you were planning to use.  They might be repetitive which might indicate false copied and pasted reviews, or a lack of reviews might be an indication that it is a bogus site. 

Money mules. Very basically, money muling is a form of money laundering, where you agree to have money, obtained via selling drugs or other illegal means, paid into your bank account which is then transferred out of the account, making it appear to be from a legitimate source.  

The under 25s are the target audience as they are less likely to have a criminal record or have their bank account linked to criminal activity.  Teenagers as young as 14 have been known to be money mules. One teenager who acted as a money mule said it became normal within her circle to the point they all forgot it was illegal.

Becoming a money mule appeals to students as it appears to be money for nothing, easy money they can earn while they are at college.  Effectively, they get paid to allow their account to be used. 

What the scammers will not say is that the bank will be on the lookout for this type of transaction, and it will flag up when the money is paid in or it's withdrawn or transferred on. Why would a teenager have large sums of money transferred into their account? This offence could carry a 14-year jail term.  

Public Wi-fi does not have the safety protocols that your private Wi-fi does, which effectively blocks incoming information from possible threats and suspicious sources.  On free Wi-fi, an experienced scammer can join the network and access your computer, effectively hacking into your emails and personal details.

Social media scams. This is very much like Pharming, where the sites look official, with brand logos, T&Cs etc, but when you click on the link it asks you to enter your details. And these might be more details than you would normally need to give. They can also create posts on your page and messages in messenger to your contacts, which they might think are from you and click on the link, and so the cycle starts again. It can also happen on any social media where you can send a private message and more recently scammers have been using WhatsApp too. 

 Tips to look out for. 

Students should also contact their university college office as they will have help, support and advice to offer, especially if they have been financially compromised due to the scam.   

Government relief programs are commonly beleaguered by scams as well, and the government response to the pandemic is no exception. 

For more information, explore what government agencies have published on the topic of scams. 

Remember Experian covers other countries, so while the scams may be relevant which is why I have included them, some of the links to government agencies may not.