How to spot a study-abroad scam before it costs your family money

We write this knowing it applies to our own industry, and knowing that a family who has been defrauded once is right to be suspicious of everyone afterwards — including us. The correct response to that suspicion is not reassurance. It is verification.

Promises nobody can legitimately make

• Guaranteed admission. Admission decisions belong to the university.
• Guaranteed visa or residence permit. Those decisions belong to government authorities.
• A guaranteed scholarship. Scholarships are awarded by the institution against published criteria.
• A guaranteed grade, or help 'improving' your results. This is fraud.
• A guaranteed job after graduation.

Pressure tactics to recognise

• 'The intake closes tomorrow, pay today.' Real deadlines are published by universities and can be checked.
• 'This price is only for today.'
• 'Do not contact the university directly, it will confuse your file.' This one is always a lie.
• Requests for payment to a personal account rather than a business or university account.
• Refusal to put anything in writing.
• Unwillingness to speak to your parents.

How to verify an admission offer

1. 1Find the university's official website independently — search for it yourself rather than clicking a link you were sent.
2. 2Find the admissions office contact details on that official site.
3. 3Contact them directly and ask them to confirm the offer and your applicant reference.
4. 4Ask them to confirm the fee, the account it should be paid to, and the deadline.
5. 5Do not pay anything until the university itself has confirmed these.

A legitimate agency will encourage you to do this. We do. If verifying with the university damages your relationship with an adviser, that tells you what you needed to know.

How to verify a scholarship

Ask which official university document the scholarship comes from, and read that document yourself. Ask whether international students are eligible, what the percentage applies to, what the renewal condition is, and what the deadline is. A real award has published criteria. An invented one has only an enthusiastic description.

Advice for parents

• Ask what the adviser cannot do. An honest one answers immediately and specifically.
• Ask for the official source of every figure you are given.
• Insist on paying university fees to the university.
• Keep every receipt and every written communication.
• Be suspicious of urgency. Real deadlines are published, and can be verified in five minutes.

If it has already happened

Report it to the police in your country, keep all evidence, warn other families publicly, and contact the university directly to establish your actual position. Students have recovered from this. The instinct to stay quiet out of embarrassment is what allows the same operation to move to the next family.