Avoiding Online Tuition Scams

Learn about online tuition scams and how you can avoid and protect yourself from being targeted by them.

What You Need to Know

By using social media accounts and word-of-mouth, scammers target student populations by claiming to offer discounts on tuition if the student makes a payment via the fraudulent site. 

• Scammers target international students at a higher rate compared to domestic students (scammers have especially targeted students using the popular app, WeChat)
• Scammers often promise an approximate 5% discount on tuition payments for students who use their 3rd-party services
• Victims are asked to provide their university credentials and their credit card information so that the 3rd-party servicer can make the payment(s)
• After the student confirms that the payment has been made (to the scammers), the scammers use a stolen credit card to make the payment, on behalf of the student, to their university account
• Later, when the university processes the payment, the transactions are declined, and the result is a charge-back onto the student’s account
• Now, the student still owes the same amount to the university, and the scammers have the student's credit card/ bank information and are able to access these funds until further action is taken

How to Protect Yourself

• Never share your online credentials with anyone!
• Only use payment methods approved by UC San Diego.
• Advise your parents or authorized payers not to respond to any 3rd-party solicitations for payment of tuition fees.
• Contact the Student Financial Solutions office immediately for assistance if you have questions about a potential tuition discount or an alternative payment method that's not included on  this list of ways to pay your bill

Read More About Tuition Scams

• College Student Scams (PDF)
• Fit Information Technology
• University of Tennessee 
• Please visit the IT Security Blink page for more information about cyber security at UC San Diego