Protecting your money: advice for new international students 

A scam - also known as a fraud - is a dishonest or illegal activity for criminals to make money. Some scams can target individual students and lead to people losing money.  

Once money has been lost to a fraud or scam, it is not always possible to get it back. The best way to protect yourself is to understand the methods used by criminals and how to spot a potential scam. 

Criminals use different methods to steal money, including: 

• Tricking you into providing bank details so they can take money from your account. 

• Convincing you to make a payment directly to them. 

• Finding out your personal details so they can open accounts or apply for credit in your name. 

• Diverting money into their accounts from places like student loans providers.

Trusted organisations 

Criminals often pretend to be from a trusted organisation, such as a government department, the police, your embassy or the University. They then ask or tell you to transfer money, or provide bank details or other personal information.  

None of these organisations will ever contact you by phone, text, email or social media to ask you to transfer money.  

Contacted by the police 

International students may be contacted by criminals claiming to be the police from their home country.  The criminals may tell you to keep quiet. 

Do not respond to this request - please seek advice. 

Another common scam is asking for a payment in advance. For example, if you’re about to start a job, you could be asked to pay a fee for the job. No employer or recruitment agency should ask for payment.

Do not respond to this request - please seek advice. 

Criminals may try to get you to act quickly. This is because they don’t want you to think about what you are doing. Again, do not let anyone pressure you into making a decision.

Do not respond to this request - please seek advice. 

There are many other ways that criminals can steal money from you. To protect yourself, follow this advice before sharing personal details or transferring money: 

1. Stop – stop and take a few minutes to think before clicking or sending money. 
2. Challenge – it is OK to reject, refuse or ignore a request – only a criminal will rush or panic you.
3. Protect – if you think you are a victim of a scam, tell your bank as soon as possible and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. 

Money mules 

A money mule is a person who receives money from someone into their bank account and transfers it to another account or withdraws it in cash and gives it to someone else. The money mule will usually receive payment for doing this. This is a type of money laundering and is a criminal offence.  

Money laundering is used by criminals to conceal the origin of money earned from illegal activity. Students arriving in the UK are sometimes used as money mules to launder money, so please ensure you protect yourself from this. 

Protecting yourself from the criminals 

• Ensure that you pay tuition fees yourself – do not accept offers from strangers to pay on your behalf. 

• Card payment through the University card payment provider system is the safest way to pay tuition and accommodation fees. 

• Do not make payments through someone else – even if they offer proof that the bill is fully or partially paid first. 

• Never allow anyone else to use your bank account. Never ‘sell’ your bank account to another student before you return home. 

• Do not respond to job adverts or social media posts that promise large amounts of money for very little work.  

• Research potential employers before handing over your personal or financial details to them. 
• Do  not allow an employer, or someone you don’t know and trust, to use your bank account to transfer money. 

 If you lose money to a scam

1. Report this to your bank immediately (for most UK banks you can call 159).
2. Report to Action Fraud
3. Inform the University so we can support you:  fraud.support@durham.ac.uk 

If in doubt about fraud or money crime, you can contact the University at:  fraud.support@durham.ac.uk