Students lose over $30k to scammers impersonating educational institutions

SINGAPORE – At least $31,000 has been lost in scams involving the impersonation of educational institutions in less than three weeks, with at least 20 cases reported in March so far.

Victims would receive e-mails requesting urgent payment of outstanding school or tuition fees, said the police on March 19.

These e-mails might be sent from fellow students’ accounts which have been taken over by scammers, or from e-mail domains that are very similar to the official e-mail accounts of educational institutions.

The victims would be asked to transfer money to a bank account and warned that failure to do so quickly would subject them to action by the school’s litigation department.

They would realise that they had been scammed after seeking verification from their school, or after receiving relevant alerts and anti-scam advisories.

The police advised people to exercise caution when receiving e-mails requesting school fees through direct payment, immediate bank transfers or payment links outside official student portals.

“Please check with the relevant institutions via official channels before transferring any fees, especially for unscheduled payment requests,” said the police.

They also reminded people not to transfer monies to any unknown parties and to take precautionary measures. These include adding safety features to accounts and devices and setting transaction limits for bank accounts, checking for signs of scams and telling the authorities if they encounter scams.

Those who suspect they are victims of a scam should call their bank immediately to block any fraudulent transactions.