Starting university is exciting, it’s full of new responsibilities and challenges. However, one risk that’s often underestimated by students is the prevalence of online scams and cyber threats targeting them.
With the influx of new accounts, emails from Student Finance England (SFE), and countless digital forms, students can quickly feel overwhelmed. Only recently a website domain that the Student Loans Company had previously used was bought by a payday loan company.
There’s an overload of information and a lot of emails to digest so recognising real messages from fraudulent ones can be hard. SUs and universities can support students not to fall for scams, here’s how.
Students as a targets
When starting university there’s lots of emails from their institution, new modules, their VLE – inboxes are full. And many are savvy looking for used textbooks on Facebook marketplace and house searching online.
Now, imagine they receive a text that looks like it’s from SFE, warning of an issue with their loan application. They panic and quickly click a link, only to find later that their bank details have been compromised.
There’s an increasing number of cybercriminals capitalising on students’ inexperience and financial vulnerabilities, these scams are growing in scale and sophistication. Many students are new to managing their finances and are understanding things like loans, credit cards and budgeting for the first time making them vulnerable to scams.
The current cost-of-living crisis only serves to exacerbate this vulnerability. Many are already struggling financially and are more likely to fall victim to scams that promise financial aid, job opportunities, or housing support. International students are often unfamiliar with UK systems and can easily be deceived by fraudulent messages related to housing or financial aid.
How Can Universities and Student Unions Respond?
While students must be cautious, universities and SUs can help significantly by creating an environment that prioritises digital literacy and cybersecurity awareness. There’s a few ways they can do this.
1. Raising awareness
Universities and SUs should consider incorporating phishing awareness and scam detection into their induction programs, especially for first-year and international students. These “digital survival” inductions could include some examples of phishing emails, housing scams and include information on how to verify sources and links.
2. Clear and Consistent Messaging
To support students to differentiate fake and real communications, clear and consistent branded messaging in emails that showcase legitimate formats is crucial. Regular communications about the new and latest scams from trusted sources will build students’ digital literacy. Cybersecurity reminders on social media during peak periods and online resources and guides tailored to current threats on university and SU websites keeps students aware.
For example, SUs could work with cybersecurity experts to create a “scam of the month” update.
By maintaining a clear and uniform format in their official communications, universities help students develop a sense of what authentic messages look like, making scams easier to identify during and beyond university.
3. Support
When students seek support from advice centres and university support services, staff need to be equipped with the knowledge of what current scams exist, how they operate and support students to recognise and avoid phishing attempts. And if necessary students can be signposted to university financial support services.
Creating a cyber-resilient students
Building cybersecurity awareness and skills among students is not just about preventing them from falling victim to scams, it’s about fostering digital literacy. Through induction training, awareness campaigns, clear and consistent messaging and accessible resources and support, universities and SUs can increase students’ digital safety and confidence online.
Universities and SUs can provide students with the tools to safeguard their personal and financial information, empowering them to navigate the online world securely. Cyber threats will continue to evolve, but with a proactive approach, universities can help students stay one step ahead.
By embedding cybersecurity into student culture, we not only protect individuals but also create a safer, more resilient student community—a goal worth striving for, one secured password at a time.
