The scam text is pretending to be from Student Finance England and is targeting the three million University students who are currently receiving their latest maintenance loan payment
Millions of Brits are being warned over a scam text which could give criminals access to their bank accounts.
The warning came from the latest scam alert by Which? consumer group. The scam text is targeting the three million university students who are currently receiving their latest maintenance loan payments. The text pretends to be from Student Finance England and includes a link to a phishing website which imitates the official Government website.
The text tells you to follow the link to make sure “your maintenance arrives on time”. Once you’ve clicked the link, the fake website asks for personal data including your bank details. This could potentially give the scammer access to your bank account. The text read: “SFE: Sumit below to ensure your maintenance arrives on time: student-finance-registry.com.”
The website for this scam has officially been taken down at the time of writing. Students usually receive their maintenance loans at the start of each university term and there are three in the academic year. Each time maintenance loans are set to be paid, scammers try and take advantage.
In a previous warning from the Student Loans Company (SLC) – the Government-owned company that administers loans and grants to students – it reiterated that it would never ask students to provide their personal or financial information via email or text message.
If a student receives a suspicious message, SLC says they should email it to [email protected] and if they think have been a victim of a scam, they should contact SLC’s specialist team on 0300 100 0059.
What to do if you think you’ve been scammed
If you think a scammer has got hold of your bank details, contact your bank straight away. You can call the 159 hotline, which will connect you to your bank. Passwords that have been leaked or compromised should be changed immediately.
Make sure you report scams and fraud to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040, or through the Action Fraud website. If you’re in Scotland, report a scam through Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or on the Advice Direct Scotland website. You can also report scams to Police Scotland on 101.
The Government says suspicious emails can be forwarded to [email protected] so they can be investigated by its National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Possible scam texts can also be forwarded for free to 7726 – this will report the message to your mobile phone provider.
