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Warning: bursary/Student Finance scam emails

Most people will be getting their Student Finance through in the coming days.

Beware replying to emails which require you to sign back into your SF application via a link in the email - the link sends you to a fake site. They are harvesting your login details and will be able to change your bank account details. SF never send out such emails.

Also beware emails purporting to be from your uni, saying that they are giving you a scholarship/bursary and need you to provide your bank account details. Unis do not need you to do this and are automatically passed your payment details by SF if you are eligible for extra funding.

Look out for these scams - you can find out more on the BBC and Money Saving Expert.

There are a range of other ways in which scammers can trick you into giving them your bank account details directly, or indirectly by getting into your SF account. If you have any worries that you may have replied to a dodgy email, change your SF password, check your bank account details and correct them if necessary.

It's essential anyway that you log back into your SF account and triple-check that your bank sort code and account number are correct. If they are wrong by one or two numbers where you've mistyped, or if a fraudster has been able to access your account and change them, you will not get your SF Maintenance Loan. If it goes into the wrong account, there's no easy way to get it back. Find out more in this thread.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1

username1167119

Original post by Klix88

Most people will be getting their Student Finance through in the next 2-3 weeks. Log back into your SF account and triple check that your bank sort code and account number are correct. If they are wrong by one or two numbers where you've mistyped, or if a fraudster has been able to access your account and change them, you will not get your SF Maintenance Loan. If it goes into the wrong account, there's no easy way to get it back.

Beware replying to emails which require you to sign back into your SF application via a link in the email - the link sends you to a fake site. They are harvesting your login details and will be able to change your bank account details. SF never send out such emails.

Also beware emails purporting to be from your uni, saying that they are giving you a scholarship/bursary and need you to provide your bank account details. Unis do not need you to do this and are automatically passed your payment details by SF if you are eligible for extra funding.

There are a range of ways in which scammers can trick you into giving them your bank account details directly, or indirectly by getting into your SF account. If you have any worries that you may have replied to a dodgy email, change your SF password, check your bank account details and correct them if necessary.

I've received an email from my university (or is it?) saying that I've been awarded a grant. There was a link which asks for my bank details. Now I'm pretty sure it's a scam, so will be ignoring it.
Thanks for your help.

Reply 2

Klix88

Original post by Auditore014

To be absolutely 100% sure, give your prospective uni a quick call, just to put your mind at rest. When it comes to finances, it's always worth chasing doubts right back to the apparent originator. Just make sure you use the uni phone number from their website, and not one given in the suspicious email.

However, if it's an obvious scam and you know you aren't eligible (offering you a bursary for a low income household when you're from a higher income household, for academic excellence when you just scraped your offer grades etc) then I wouldn't think about it any more.