Newsroom
Scammers prey on college students during COVID-19 crisis
June 10, 2020
As if students haven't had enough challenges this year due to the COVID-19 crisis, now scammers are targeting them in a new phishing scheme.
The Federal Trade Commission is issuing warnings about COVID-19 scams, in which an email is sent to incoming or current college students. The email appears to be from the "Financial Department" of the student's school or university and tells the student to clink on a link to get a message about the COVID-19 economic stimulus check. The email instructs students to enter their school portal log in information to access the message about their stimulus check.
According to the FTC, by clicking on the link and entering their personal information, students are giving information to scammers and may be downloading malware onto their phone or computer. The FTC reminds students to examine email messages closely and not click on any links unless they are sure of the sender.
The FTC said one of the tipoffs in the emails is it is sent from the "Financial Department" rather than a school's "Financial Aid Office."