WIREDGOV

The fraudulent email has come to light over the last two weeks in the lead up to the new academic year and claims that Student Loans Company accounts have been suspended due to incomplete student information.

• First-year and returning university students warned of a phishing scam that claims to be from the student loan provider.
• Fraudsters are believed to be targeting victims as they prepare to start their new academic year
• Victims are duped into giving up personal information that is used to steal their identity and defraud them.
• The Student Loans Company has confirmed that the email is not genuine.

It therefore urges the recipient to update their details using a web link which then leads to a fake website with the aim of harvesting personal details. 

The scam is believed to target both new and current university students. However, examples of the scam have been reported where individuals who have never applied for student finance have also received the email.

Protect yourself from loan phishing emails

Don’t assume anyone who has sent you an email is who they say they are.

If an email asks you to make a payment, log in to an online account or offers you a deal, be cautious. Real banks never email you for passwords or any other sensitive information by clicking on a link and visiting a website. If you get a call from someone who claims to be from your bank, don't give away any personal details.

Make sure your spam filter is on your emails. If you find a suspicious email, mark it as spam and delete it to keep out similar emails in future.

If in doubt, check it’s genuine by asking the company itself. Never follow links provided in suspicious emails; find the official website or customer support number using a separate browser and search engine.

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