Cybercrime has taken over the UK's independent schools as foreign students' fee payments are increasingly being intercepted by scammers. According to a recent survey of 100 fee-paying independent schools, all had been targeted by cyber-attacks on average once a year. These attacks typically focus on diverting fee payments to the scammer's accounts.
The average loss per school was £3,200, with some families losing up to £10,000 after being duped into sending money to a criminal's account via a fake email from the school bursar. Foreign students, in particular, are often vulnerable to these scams due to language barriers and lack of awareness about security measures.
The scammers typically start by hacking an outside company that has access to parents' email addresses, such as those managing visas for foreign students. They then send emails, supposedly from the school bursar, asking for payment to be made to a different account than usual. Some schools may also offer discounts, sometimes up to 25%, to lure victims in.
Experts warn that these scammers can find weaknesses in schools' communication channels and exploit multiple payment methods. Parents are advised to be vigilant when receiving any unusual messages or requests that create a sense of urgency. They should contact the school through official channels before acting on any request, and immediately report suspected fraud to their bank and the central hub for reporting online crime.
Simon Freeman, managing director of Iris Education, which conducted the research, notes that parents who do not speak English fluently are more susceptible to these scams due to lack of awareness about security measures. The company's findings highlight the need for schools and parents to stay vigilant against these increasingly sophisticated cybercrimes.
The average loss per school was £3,200, with some families losing up to £10,000 after being duped into sending money to a criminal's account via a fake email from the school bursar. Foreign students, in particular, are often vulnerable to these scams due to language barriers and lack of awareness about security measures.
The scammers typically start by hacking an outside company that has access to parents' email addresses, such as those managing visas for foreign students. They then send emails, supposedly from the school bursar, asking for payment to be made to a different account than usual. Some schools may also offer discounts, sometimes up to 25%, to lure victims in.
Experts warn that these scammers can find weaknesses in schools' communication channels and exploit multiple payment methods. Parents are advised to be vigilant when receiving any unusual messages or requests that create a sense of urgency. They should contact the school through official channels before acting on any request, and immediately report suspected fraud to their bank and the central hub for reporting online crime.
Simon Freeman, managing director of Iris Education, which conducted the research, notes that parents who do not speak English fluently are more susceptible to these scams due to lack of awareness about security measures. The company's findings highlight the need for schools and parents to stay vigilant against these increasingly sophisticated cybercrimes.
! It's just crazy that scammers are taking advantage of vulnerable students and their families. Foreign students, in particular, are being targeted due to language barriers - it's not fair that they're having to deal with these extra stressors on top of everything else. I think schools need to do more to educate parents about online security and how to spot scams. Like, shouldn't this be a part of the school curriculum or something? 
It's not like it's rocket science, but apparently, scammers are still finding ways to exploit these weaknesses. We need to stay vigilant, for sure! 
Parents just have to be more careful when receiving emails from schools - if it sounds too good (or bad) to be true, it probably is. Let's get our priorities straight and start protecting these kids' funds 
Schools need to step up their security game and make sure parents are aware of these risks. And what's with the schools offering discounts like that? That's just tempting trouble 
Anyway, I've heard from friends whose kids go to international schools and they're super vigilant about these kinds of scams now. It's good that experts are warning parents to be on the lookout for suspicious emails... gotta protect those young minds 
foreign students are especially vulnerable because they might not speak english fluently or be familiar with the local culture. i totally get why parents would be hesitant to question something from their child's school, but like, it's better to err on the side of caution, you know? 
anyway, let's all take a deep breath and be more mindful of our online presence...
. These scammers are taking advantage of language barriers and lack of awareness about security measures 
. It's not just the money that's at stake, it's also their education and well-being 
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. And we need to see more action from authorities to crack down on these cybercriminals 
. We can't just sit back and let them exploit our kids' trust 
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. That's a clear example of how we need to rethink our security measures and stay one step ahead of these cyber threats 
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. The fact that some schools are offering discounts to make it seem legit just makes me want to cry 
. What can parents do? Just stay calm, check with the school first before sending any money, and report it straight to their bank if they suspect something fishy... but I know not everyone's tech-savvy 
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. I mean, can you even imagine being a foreign student just trying to pay your fees and suddenly finding out that some scammers have hijacked the whole system? It's like they're basically holding your education hostage 
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. And before you know it, they've got you on the hook for thousands of pounds 
. We need to stay vigilant and make sure we're not falling for these scams 
It's like the government is just sitting back and letting these scammers run wild... or are we not doing enough to educate parents on online security measures? 
. £10k is a lot of money to lose over something that could've been prevented with some basic security measures... schools need to step up their game and help parents stay safe online 
What's even more worrying is that these scammers can find weaknesses in schools' systems and exploit multiple payment methods, it's like they're one step ahead of everything 
. And what about email filters? Can't these scammers just get blocked out like regular spam? 
. Let's just hope this doesn't become the new normal... 
that's insane! what kind of communication channels are we talking about here? shouldn't schools have better security measures in place to prevent these kinds of attacks? 
... I mean, not that I don't love their private school experience, but it's crazy how scammers have figured out ways to target them too 
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. And 25% discounts? That's just plain wrong! 
. Banks and the central hub are there to help us out, so let’s not be afraid to use them 
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. The fact that some schools offer discounts to lure victims is just crazy... what's next? 
. It's not just about protecting our own money; it's about keeping our children safe 
.