Find advice and guidance on how to prevent and respond to online fraud and phishing attacks, especially while during hybrid working and studying. Find Scam Prevention Advice For Students Find various fraud awareness and prevention resources specifically aimed at helping students avoid common attacks such as phishing emails, rental scams and other forms of fraud. Explore the University of Edinburgh Finance Department Guidance on Known Scams The University's finance department has consolidated information on known scams targeting students, as well as information on how to protect yourself and who to contact if you or someone you know has been targeted by scammers. Scams | The University of Edinburgh Read About Scams Targeting Students in the United Kingdom Find out more about the type of scams that have affected university students in the UK through the following resources. Save the Student: 15 Common Money Scams to Avoid Lloyds Bank: Student Scams Read About Scams Targeting International Students Unfortunately, a large number of financial scams are targeted at our international student population. In response to a large number of scams affecting our students from China, in particular, Police Scotland have issued the following advice. UK Council for International Student Affairs: Frauds and Scams Studee: The ultimate guide to international student scams (and how to avoid them) Fraud & Scam Prevention with the Chinese Consulate General in Edinburgh (YouTube video) Police Scotland Chinese Students Safety Information Leaflet (SharePoint PDF) Police Scotland Chinese Students Safety Message (Simplified Chinese - SharePoint PDF) Police Scotland Chinese Students Safety Message (Traditional Chinese - SharePoint PDF) Explore Resources for Scam Awareness, Prevention and Response Find advice on how to protect yourself from a variety of online fraud and scams through the links below. Review Information Security's (InfoSec) Guidance on Avoiding Phishing Phishing links are the most common kind of attack. The University’s InfoSec team have put together a helpful guide for recognising these threats and learning how to avoid them. InfoSec: Learning to avoid phishing Review Police Scotland's Guidance on Scams and Frauds In this guidance, you will find information on different types of fraud, and how you can try to avoid becoming a victim. Police Scotland: Scams and Frauds Explore the UK Government's Stop! Think Fraud Campaign On the campaign website, find guidance on whether you are at risk of fraud, how to spot it, how to protect yourself against it and how to recover from it. UK Government: Stop! Think Fraud Explore Advice from Action Fraud This website provides helpful advice on how to protect yourself from fraud and cybercrime. Action Fraud Advice on Fraud and Cybercrime Report Scam Texts and Mobile Calls to 7725 Find information, including video guides, on how to report scam texts and mobile calls to 7726 in the UK. Ofcom: How to report scam texts and mobile calls to 7726 Check if your email or password has been compromised “Have I been pwned?” is a website that checks to see if your email and password has ever been leaked in a data breach. Check if your email address is in a data breach Check if your password is one of the hundreds of millions of passwords previously exposed in data breaches Seek Free, Expert Help for Victims The Cyber Helpline offers free, expert help for victims of cybercrime, digital fraud & online harm. The Cyber Helpline Find Advice on Scammers Pretending to be from the Home Office This page gives you advice on protecting yourself from tricks and scams the Home Office are aware of. Remember, if you receive an unexpected email, telephone call or letter from someone who claims to be from the Home Office, it may be a scam. HMRC guidance on fraud, tricks and scams Find Advice and Support for Sextortion Sextortion, which involves the use of threatening to share sexual information, images or video with other parties, is unfortunately on the rise. Police Scotland have issued some helpful guidance on what to do if you or someone you know has been victimised in this way. Police Scotland Guidance on Sextortion Revenge Porn Helpline is A UK-based service dedicated to supporting all adults who have been the victim of intimate image abuse. This site provides free, non-judgemental and confidential advice and support via email and phone. Revenge Porn Helpline If someone is threatening to share intimate images of you or someone you know, StopNCII.org, run by the National Revenge Porn Helpline, can help you digitally hash images, preventing them from being shared online. Stop Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse If you or someone you know has been affected by sextortion, the Rape Crisis Centre's Little Green Book might also help by looking at trauma, the effects of sexual violence, ways of coping and recovery. Little Green Book (Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre) Learn How to Avoid Virtual Kidnapping Scams Virtual kidnapping is a scam where criminals either falsely claim to have kidnapped a loved one or force victims to pretend that they have been kidnapped. If you receive such a call or message, do not send any information, pictures or money to the criminals. You should reach out to the University Security team immediately, and cut off all contact with the scammers. Contact Security Review the following poster on virtual kidnapping awareness designed by the Digital Skills Team to know how you can protect yourself. Beware of Virtual Kidnapping Scams! (Sharepoint PDF) Keep up with Common Scams The following resources bring together lists of scams that are on the rise in 2024. Familiarising yourself with these lists could help you and those around you avoid falling for the same scams. Metropolitan Police: The Little Book of Big Scams (5th Edition) Which?: 5 most convincing scams of 2024 so far The scams and frauds landscape is always evolving, with a regular introduction of new and more sophisticated scams. You can sign up for the Scam Alerts Service run by Which?, which can help you spot and avoid the latest scams. Which?: Scam Alerts Service Remember these Online Shopping Safety Tips Busy retail periods such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday are a key time for fraudsters to act. Here are some tips to keep you safe while shopping. 1. Go to the source: Go straight to the retailer’s website rather than clicking on a potentially unsafe link. 2. Avoid “too good to be true” deals: These are usually an attempt to lure you into giving your personal data. 3. Pay with a credit card: Credit cards offer better protection against financial fraud than debit cards. 4. Connect with caution: Public wi-fi connections are not secure; avoid doing your banking in public! 5. Don’t rush: Take your time when online shopping and ensure the site if legitimate before entering personal information, even when a deal appears to be time sensitive. 6. It’s not always cheaper: Just because a retailer tells you the price has been slashed by however much doesn’t mean it’s true! Compare your options before committing to a purchase. © Shivani Rao, Victoria Madden, University of Edinburgh, 2022, CC BY-SA 4.0, unless otherwise indicated. This article was published on 2024-10-08
