The Dispatch
Target: International students
A look at the evolving tactics employed by scammers to prey on vulnerable students, repercussions for victims and how universities are helping them.
By Seb Murray
International students bring so much to campuses around the world — new perspectives, cultural diversity and economic contributions. But as students cross borders to pursue education, they’re also finding themselves increasingly targeted by a range of scams.
From phishing schemes and catfishing to more elaborate cons like virtual kidnappings and drug smuggling, these frauds are becoming alarmingly common. For universities, this isn’t just a security issue; it’s a problem that touches on the very trust that international students place in them.
Phishing scams are a major problem. They usually start with an email that looks official — supposedly from the university’s administration, a government agency or a financial institution. The aim is to trick students into handing over personal information, like passport details or bank account numbers, or even making direct payments under false pretences.
For international students, who may not yet be familiar with the local systems or the way their university handles things, these scams can be quite effective, unfortunately. And the fallout can be significant, often leading to financial loss and identity theft, not to mention the emotional stress of feeling duped in a foreign country.
For instance, at Cornell University in New York, there have been several reports of phishing attempts where scammers send emails pretending to be from official university offices. “Scams are becoming more sophisticated, and the sender might know a little about you from web searches,” says Jason Kahabka, associate dean for administration at the Ivy League university, in a post on the university website. “For example, they may reference publications or current research that you’ve posted or appeal to you based on some other known affiliation.”
“Scams are becoming more sophisticated, and the sender might know a little about you from web searches."
Catfishing is another scam that’s all too common, where the scammer builds a fake online persona and engages with the student, often pretending to be a friend or romantic interest. Over time, they gain the student’s trust, only to exploit it — usually by asking for money or sensitive information. The emotional impact of these scams can be deep, leaving students feeling betrayed and isolated, far from home.
Some scams go beyond these online deceptions and involve more sophisticated criminal activities. Virtual kidnapping, for example, is a terrifying ordeal where students are led to believe they are in serious danger, often by someone pretending to be an immigration or law enforcement official. The scammer demands a ransom, usually paid by the student’s family, who are convinced that their loved one is in danger.
“The perpetrators’ goal is to extort money from victims’ families and often target international students,” Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam says on their official website. “It is a variant of telecom hostage-taking, which has been going on for years in other countries such as Australia and the UK, but now seems to be gaining a foothold in the Netherlands and other surrounding countries.”
Drug smuggling is another extreme case, where students are tricked into transporting illegal substances, sometimes under the guise of a legitimate job offer or by coercion.
The legal consequences of being caught can be life-altering, involving lengthy prison sentences, deportation and, in some cases, death. These scams highlight just how vulnerable international students can be when they’re not fully aware of the risks they might face in a new country.
These issues are happening against a backdrop of broader challenges in international student recruitment. In the UK, for instance, universities are under pressure to cut down on fraudulent applications, particularly as dropout rates among students from certain countries, like India and Bangladesh, are approaching 25 percent.
Former British universities minister Jo Johnson has voiced concerns that the UK might soon reach a tipping point in its willingness to accept more international students, especially if fraud and dropout rates continue to increase.
“It’s clear to me that the days of government support for further growth in numbers are over,” he said, adding that universities should take “collective action to weed out poor quality and fraudulent applications”. His comments reflect a growing unease about whether some institutions are more focused on immigration numbers than on educational quality.
The situation is similar in the US, where universities, especially those that aren’t as internationally recognised, are grappling with a surge in fraudulent applications. In some cases, these fraudulent applications are used to secure student visas, which are then sold to other individuals looking to shortcut the process. This not only wastes the resources of admissions offices like Portland State, but also creates financial problems when students don’t show up to enrol.
In response, many universities are stepping up their efforts to protect international students from a range of scams. They’re implementing stricter verification processes for applications and improving their methods for detecting fraud. Orientation programs now often include sessions on how to recognize and avoid scams, helping students to stay vigilant.
Pressure is also coming from policymakers. The UK government, which has recently changed over, introduced tougher compliance standards for universities, requiring them to adhere to a quality assurance framework for recruitment agents. Universities that fail to meet these standards risk losing their sponsorship licenses. James Cleverly, shadow home secretary, has said that the UK must “make sure our immigration routes aren’t abused”.
“That’s why we are cracking down on rogue international agents…to ensure international students are coming here to study, not work,” he says.
Some universities are also working closely with local law enforcement and immigration officials to provide better support for students who may be targeted by scams. Cultural and language barriers complicate the issue, making it harder for students to ask for help or even realise they’ve been scammed.
When things go wrong, the consequences can be severe. Scams not only cause financial and emotional harm to students, but they can also tarnish the reputation of the institutions involved. For universities that depend on the revenue from these students, this could be a significant blow.
Ultimately, the rise in scams targeting international students is quite a complex problem that requires a coordinated effort from universities, students and governments. While some progress is being made, there’s still a lot of work to do to ensure that international students are fully protected and that the trust they place in their host institutions is not misplaced.
