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UK Students Under Scam Attack 

Apr 27, 2010 05:40 PM

During the past month, scammers have been targeting students by phishing a brand that belongs to the UK government. The legitimate brand provides information and services for government organizations to UK citizens. Students who are seeking financial services for their higher education can apply on this brand’s website. The website requires customers to open an account to access any of the services. An account helps to keep track of all payment transactions.

The phishing website that targeted students was asking for verification to process the credit/loan application submitted by the student. This fake verification request sought sensitive information, such as customer reference number, password, and bank account details. The reference number represents the customer’s account, which fraudsters take advantage of by viewing their account history. Upon entering credentials, the page redirects to the legitimate website.




Several phishing websites were observed in this attack, and they were hosted on servers based in the USA and the UK.

Internet users are advised to follow best practices to avoid phishing attacks. Here are some basic tips for avoiding online scams:

•    Do not click on suspicious links in email messages.
•    Check the URL of the website and make sure that it belongs to the brand.
•    Type the domain name of your brand’s website directly into your browser’s address bar rather than following any link.
•    Frequently update your security software, such as Norton Internet Security 2010, which protects you from online phishing.

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Note: My thanks to the co-author of this blog, Ashish Diwakar.

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