Students are being reminded to be cautious after reports of a serious fraud scam targeting international students.
The scam, which has targeted mainly Chinese students studying at universities and colleges across the UK, sees criminals claiming they are investigating international crimes and requiring victims to transfer large sums of money to an account in China to be checked.
Students are contacted by criminals claiming to be from the Chinese Embassy in the UK, and told to expect another phone call from the Police in China. Victims are next contacted by what appeared to be Chinese police in Guangdong, and informed that they are investigating international crimes.
The fraudsters are very convincing and have access to lots of personal information, including a claim to have debit cards belonging to the victim. The victim is then told that the police need to check their bank account and require them to transfer money to an account in China with the threat of imprisonment if they tell anyone or refuse to co-operate.
Students are being advised that if they receive a call requesting personal information or bank account details to end the call immediately. Do not call back and never transfer money by any method even if requested to do so.
If you think you may have been targeted or are a victim of fraud, please contact the International Advice and Guidance Team who will support you to contact the British Police through ACTION FRAUD. You can also contact ACTION FRAUD directly on 0300 123 2040.
If you have been told not to contact anyone, please be assured that our International Advice and Guidance team operate confidentially and will never share your details with anyone else without your permission.
For further information about security and safe computing, please visit our Computing Services information page. For more information generally on safety and security please visit our Safety page.