Student Loan Scam

First-year and returning university students have been warned of a phishing scam in which emails claim to be sent by the student loan provider.

Action Fraud - the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime - believes that victims are being targeted as they prepare to start their new academic year. The emails try to dupe students into giving up personal information which is then used to steal their identity and defraud them.

The fraudulent email claims that Student Loans Company accounts have been suspended due to incomplete student information.

The recipient is urged to update their details using a web link which then leads to a fake website with the aim of harvesting personal details. The scam is believed to target both new and current university students.