Top four frauds for students to watch out for

If you have waved a child off to college or university recently, you have probably already given them lots of words of wisdom about keeping safe.

But have you told them about the best ways to keep their money safe from fraudsters?

Last year, Derbyshire students lost more than £1.3 million to scams.

The scammers are clever and will try any number of tactics. Such as:

• Investment scams, such as cryptocurrency, that took people’s money and details for dodgy deals. These deals promised to make them rich but left them thousands out of pocket instead.
• Fake job adverts that asked for money to apply or took an applicant’s payment details.
• Rental fraud which asked students for upfront payments for properties they’d never seen, that weren’t available or didn’t even exist.
• Online shopping scams where scammers used fake websites to trick their students into providing personal and financial information for a purchase that isn’t real.

Remember: Stop! Think Fraud. Don’t rush into a purchase or deal without doing your research first.

Derbyshire Police officers have issued three top tips as follows:

• Keep your passwords protected, and make sure your email password is unique.
• Avoid paying for things via bank transfer, especially large sums of money.
• Remember that trusted organisations will not pressure you into a quick decision. If you’re not sure, don’t click the link and don’t provide any personal details, money or banking information.

For more tips on how to protect yourself online visit www.actionfraud.police.uk/studentsafety

Sock It to the Scammers is a fraud-fighting campaign, where a memorable bright pink puppet Claude pops up at pivotal moments to stop someone losing money to a scammer. Find out more on the Derbyshire Police website: Sock it to the Scammers | Derbyshire Constabulary