Scam safety

La Trobe University is aware there are common scams targeting students. It is important for you to keep informed so you can stay safe while you are studying. This page outlines what a scam is, how to identify a scam, what to do if you’ve been scammed and how to report it.

What is a scam?

A scam is when criminals trick you into giving them your personal or financial information so that they can steal from or exploit you.

Sometimes scammers impersonate government or consular officials, banks, military or police to try and convince you to give them your personal information.

Scammers can attempt to reach you via text, phone call, email, social media, websites or even in person.

Common types of scams may include student fee, jobs, visas, relationships, investment, bank-related and remote access scams.

How to identify a scam

There are some things to look out for if you are contacted by someone you suspect might be trying to scam you.

Pressure to act – A scammer will often try to make you act fast. Legitimate organisations will not pressure you to make decisions on the spot. It’ s ok to take your time and do your research. Some scammers may even use threats to make you comply.
Suspicious links or attachments – Never click on links or attachments without checking that the sender is who they say they are.
Asking for money – Some scammers will try use your kindness against you and will sometimes tell you tragic stories to gain your sympathy. Be wary of any appeal for money. Some scammers may also ask for money upfront for services or as part of a recruitment process.
Opportunity to make money – Scammers will try to convince you that you are getting an amazing deal, or that you will make money. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Unusual payment requests – Scammers may ask you to pay for goods or services with preloaded debit cards, iTunes cards or virtual currency. They may also ask you to set up new bank accounts or PayID.

Money mule recruitment scams: Recently criminals have been targeting students (online and in-person) by offering payment to receive money into the victim’s bank account and transferred into another account or cryptocurrency exchange. This is called money muling and it’s a serious criminal offence, resulting in anywhere from 12 months to lifetime in prison if convicted.
Fraudulent calls about Australian visa/immigration status: Some Indian nationals, who have recently arrived in or migrated to Australia, have been receiving fraudulent calls from unauthorised persons about their Australian visa/immigration status. At times the callers have even spoofed the phone numbers allotted to the High Commission of India, Canberra or its Consulates in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth or their Service Provider viz., M/s VFS Global. Since this is a matter concerning Australian Visa, we suggest that the incidents should be reported to local police authorities and a copy of the report be forwarded to visa@hcindia-au.org. Guidelines are also available online. The Consulate General of India in Melbourne invites all international students to register your arrival with them from the online form. This will help the Consulate to serve you better, and keep you informed of the latest news and activities relating to India. You can also follow up on Facebook for upcoming news, events and activities.
Chinese authority impersonators: There is a rising number of telecom fraud cases targeting Chinese students overseas. Scammers are impersonating Chinese government authorities or military officials to extort money from Chinese students. The scammers tell the victim they have been implicated in a crime and need to pay money to avoid deportation. As the scam escalates, through coercion, they get victims to stage their own fake kidnapping. The families involved are led to believe the victim is in danger and a ransom needs to be paid to secure their release.
Rental scams: StudyMelbourne has informed us of rental scams impacting international students. This issue involves students sub-letting accommodation with rent then not being passed on to the landlord. Students are then threatened with eviction or offered alternative accommodation, by the same sub-letters, with the promise of recovering rent. Anyone looking for a place to rent should know the risks and watch out for rental scams. Avoid paying by cash, money transfer services, or directly into a bank. Find out more
Fee scams: never pay tuition fees to a third party. There have been several reports of a fee scam targeting at University students in Australia. The scam involves a friend recommending a third party who provides a fee discount – presumably on the assumption that fees are negotiable and the third party can bargain hard. Students are advised to pay their fees less 10% to the third party. Following this payment, the student receives receipts of fee payment made by credit card – presumably stolen. The credit card holder then disputes the payment, and the payment is reversed. The student has a debt from the fee department at University as no payment has been received by the University. To be safe with your money, remember La Trobe University does not require or ask you for your bank account information – including your account number or BSB (never give your account number or BSB number to anyone you don’t know over email). La Trobe University does not provide fee discounts to any third party so please pay the fees directly with the University online

What to do if contacted by a scammer

Ask yourself – could this message or call be fake? End the conversation if you are unsure or uncomfortable.
If a scammer threatens your safety, hang up and contact police. If the scammer threatens your family, contact your family and ask them to contact their local police. If is an emergency (in Australia), ring emergency on 000.
Follow Scamwatch’s steps if you have been scammed, including reporting the scam attempt to Scamwatch. Scamwatch also has resources available in your language

If you have been scammed

Remember, it is not your fault. There is a lot of support available, and you should seek help without feeling embarrassed.

Immediately contact your bank or financial institution. If you think you have paid money to a scammer, immediately contact your financial institution and the police to see if the payment can be stopped or returned to you.
Get help to recover. Contact IDCARE. IDCARE is Australia and New Zealand’s national identity and cyber support service. They can help you make a plan to limit the damage – for free. Visit the IDCARE website to find out more.
Report the scam to police and Scamwatch. Never feel embarrassed about reporting a scam. Reporting helps to warn others of potential scams and helps us learn more ways to avoid them. Note: if you are in immediate danger, ring emergency on 000.
Be aware of further scam attempts. If a scammer has stolen money from you, they will often come back for more. Scammers will scan your social media, friends lists and other information in an attempt to further exploit you. Be especially wary of someone offering to help you get your money back.

University support

Report a scam

If you encounter a suspicious email, message or interaction that appears to be related to La Trobe University, it’s important to act quickly and report it.

How to report concerns: La Trobe has dedicated support for handling cyber threats. Students can report scams by emailing IS-Security@latrobe.edu.au.

Available support

Safer Community – contact La Trobe’s Safer Community whenever you have safety or wellbeing concern for yourself or someone else. Safer Community can help if you are unsure or nervous about contacting police and can provide confidential advice that will not affect your study, visa or access to university support.
International student support – not sure where to start? Find information and support from ASK La Trobe and the International Student Support team. Visit the ASK La Trobe website for contact details. If you need help after-hours (at night, during public holidays or on the weekends) call 24-hour international student support hotline 1800 758 360.
Wellbeing support – visit the Counselling and mental health service webpage for information on how to access counselling and mental health services.
Financial advice – make an appointment with one of La Trobe’s experienced financial counsellors to help you get your finances back on track.
Legal support – free and confidential legal support is available to all enrolled La Trobe students.

Tips to stay safe

Keep social media profiles private. Don’t share images of home addresses, hotels, airline boarding passes, student IDs, driver’s licence or passports.
Maintain password safety – update passwords regularly. Always have a minimum 6-digit pin for mobile phones.
Avoid replying to emails or text message from unknown senders.
Never give identity verifying information over the phone. Hang up and call businesses back on their listed Australian contact number.
Do not download apps or software someone has told you to download or allow remote access to someone who has called you.
Consider changing your phone settings to only allow those in your contacts list to call you. All other calls will go to voicemail or be blocked. Find out more about these options by researching your phone features or from your phone service provider.
Keep informed. Regularly view websites such as Scamwatch, the Study Melbourne student scams webpage (for international students) and the Australian Government eSafety Commissioner for information on current scams and advice on staying safe online. IDCARE also have a range of resources and advice on how to prevent and detect scams.
International Students: Visit Be Aware: International student scams to view a list of current scams we’re aware of, and links to support resources.