Student Services

You have received this email.

Urgent Tax Refund
HMRC

Dear Customer,

Owing to a miscalculation of your tax in the last year, you have an outstanding tax refund of £5,419. To receive this refund, you need to submit a claim form as a matter of urgency. We have attempted to contact you regarding this, but we have yet to receive your claim. Your claim must be processed before the end of the financial year, so please complete the claim for by 20th January, 2017.

Your reference number is HMRCX9071

Start your claim

HM Revenue & Customs

Is this a scam?

Yes, this is a scam.

HMRC would not contact you by email. If a company contacts you by email you would expect to be addressed by your name. You should always be vigilant of companies addressing you as ‘Dear Customer’.

Scammers also use email addresses that are similar to the genuine email addresses. Check where the email was sent from: is it correct?

Be wary if you’re being asked to click on a link within an email. If you’re unsure go to the company’s official website and originate your own enquiry from there.

70% spotted that this was a scam

You receive a call from your bank.

The person on the other end of the telephone says:

Hello, this is Adam calling from HSBC. I’m just ringing to let you know there has been some suspicious activity on your current account. I need to run through your recent transactions to check they were made by you. I just need to confirm who I am talking to, so could you tell me your date of birth and which accounts you hold with us.

Is this a scam?

No it is not a scam.

32% correctly identified this was genuine contact from your bank.

You are searching for a new shared house to live in with your friends for your next academic year. You find a landlord advertising on Rightmove who has a house that has plenty of space and the rent is very cheap. After contacting him asking for a viewing, he asks you for an advanced deposit so you can view the house later.

Is this a scam?

Yes, this is a scam.

You should never be asked to pay money to view a property. A deposit would usually only be paid at the point you have signed a contract. In general, if something seems too good to be true it probably is: be wary of properties that seem very cheap.

95% got this one right

You have received this text message.

IA Bank

Dear IA Bank Customer

Your account has been locked because of suspicious activity. Please visit the internet bank at www.ia.com.uk/validate to validate your details and unlock your account.

Is this a scam?

Yes, this is a scam.

See who the text is addressed to and always be suspicious if it’s addressed to a generic title such as customer. Never click on a link in a text, unless you have originated the initial contact.

77% spotted this is a scam.

The exam season is in sight and you are revising hard in your spare time. Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, you are running low on money and struggling to make ends meet.

While spending a long night in the library, you get particularly frustrated which leads to you getting visibly upset. A woman approaches you and talks to you about what is making you upset.

After cheering you up, she mentions that you could work for her as a ‘Finance Distribution Officer’. She explains that all you would need to do is accept bank transfers into your account, take off a small portion for yourself and then send it on to another bank account.

Is this a scam?

Yes, this is a scam.

If you agreed to do this you would become what is known as a Money Mule. This is a criminal offence and you could face prosecution.

97% realised this was a scam

You come across this quiz online.

What’s Your Royal Guest Name?

Title​​: Lord or Lady

First Name​​: Grandparent’s name

Surname​​: Your first pet’s name

Of​​: Street name

Is this a scam?

Yes this is a scam.

You are giving away information quite often used in creating passwords, such as grandparent’s name, pet’s name and so on.

71% got this one right

You come across this quiz online.

What’s Your Monster Movie?

Is this a scam?

No, this is not a scam.

76% realised this is just a bit of fun and not a scam

You receive this email from the Student Loans Company.

From: ​​ Notifications@slc.co.uk

To:​​Recipients

CC:​

Subject:​​Application for student finance submitted – Academic Year 2017/18

Dear Student,

Due to incomplete student information update provided to the Student Loans Company (SLC). Most Accounts have been suspended due to inaccuracy, and we strictly advice every student to update their information.

What happens next?

Update your details with us, click the link provided below and fill in your information securely.

Update your student finance login security details securely

What you should not do?

Please do not click on any link attached in emails such as http:// or WWW as we would not ask you to do so.

If you do need to send us evidence, it’s important that you send us everything we’ve asked for. If we have to contact you for any missing information or evidence it could delay your application further.

How can I check the progress of my application?

You can do this by visiting www.gov.uk/studentfinance and logging into your account page, where you can also:

Is this a scam?

Yes, this is a scam.

• Clues that this is a scam include:
• It’s addressed to Dear Student;
• There are misspellings and grammatical errors in the text;
• It urges you to act fast, not giving you time to think;
• It’s stating your account has been suspended which is something you wouldn’t want to happen. This makes you more likely to act without thinking.

Don’t click on the link. Access your student loan account in the normal way and if in doubt contact the Student Loans Company by another method.

Just 41% spotted this was a scam.

What percent of scams and fraud are reported by the public?

5%

This is such a low number because people who have been scammed often feel too embarrassed to contact the Police and may not even tell friends and family.

31% managed to guess 5% was the correct number of reported scams

You receive a call from your bank.

The following conversation occurs.

Hello. Is that Mr Jones? I am calling from your bank. We’ve just been informed by the police that someone has been arrested using your bank card and personal details. You’ll need to call my colleague at the bank using the number on the back of your bank card. They’ll run through some details and tell you what to do next. And please don’t worry – the police have recovered your funds.

You hang up and phone the number as instructed…

Hello? You’re through to IA Bank. How can I help you?

I’ve been talked to ring this number because someone has been arrested using my bank card.

Right. First I need to confirm who I’m talking to. Could you key your PIN into the handset of your phone? Then we’ll send someone to collect your compromised card so we can give it to the police as evidence. Make sure to cut in half so it can’t be used, but not through the chip or the police won’t be able to confirm the details. Our courier should be with you to collect the card in half an hour.

Is this a scam?

Yes, this is a scam.

Scammers can use spoofing to change the caller ID so the call appears to be from a genuine number, such as the bank’s telephone number on the back of your card. Do not be reassured if someone is calling from a number you recognise – this could still be a scam.

If they ask you to call back they can keep the line open. From your end you will hear a dialling tone and believe you have called the genuine number but the scammer has just kept the call open.

To avoid this call a friend before calling them back, use a different phone to call or leave at least 10 minutes before calling them.

88% got this correct