9 student scams to be aware of in 2026

What is a student scam?

A student scam is a fraudulent scheme that targets university and college students and tries to steal their money, credentials, or personal information. Many student scams rely on impersonation. Scammers pretend to be trusted sources such as universities, loan servicers, banks, employers, landlords, or government agencies.

Scammers use communication channels that students check often, including email, text, social media, job boards, messaging apps, and phone calls. Scam tactics often work on students because time is short, money is tight, and administrative processes can be confusing.

1. Student loan debt relief scams

Student loan debt relief scams are among the most common schemes targeting students. Rising balances and complex repayment rules leave students searching for ways to reduce what they owe, and scammers exploit that sense of urgency.

According to the Education Data Initiative, the outstanding federal student loan balance sits near $1.693 trillion, held by about 42.8 million borrowers [1]. With millions of borrowers navigating repayment, scammers have a large pool of potential targets.

This form of loan fraud reaches students through phone calls, texts, emails, direct messages, and paid social ads. Some scammers place search ads that appear when you search for “loan forgiveness help” or “lower student loan payments,” which positions them to intercept you at your most vulnerable moment.

Student loan forgiveness scams

Student loan debt forgiveness scams claim to offer special access to programs or expedited processing. In reality, legitimate forgiveness programs have strict eligibility criteria, documented steps, and long review timelines. Most applicants submit multiple claims before they’re approved, and denial notices explain exactly what went wrong and what actions are required to qualify.

In 2025, about 93% of forgiveness applications were denied, which shows how tight the criteria are [2]. Scammers exploit these low approval rates to their advantage. They guarantee approval if you pay a fee or share your credentials. However, no legitimate program can guarantee that.

Student loan repayment scams

Repayment scams promise you access to better payment plans and lower monthly amounts that you supposedly can’t get on your own. The pitch usually involves a monthly subscription fee for their “servicing,” or the scammer claims they need to take control of your account to make the changes.

You don’t need to pay a third party for help. Real repayment options, including income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, deferment, and forbearance, are available for free through your loan servicer or through Federal Student Aid (FSA) at studentaid.gov. You can apply for them yourself at no cost.

Scammers create a sense of urgency with fake delinquency alerts, threats of wage garnishment, and countdown timers. The goal is to collect a recurring monthly fee for services you don’t need or steal your bank details by setting up automatic payments that go to them instead of your actual servicer.

PRO TIP: Someone asking for payment for financial advice is not automatically a federal aid scam, even if the same help is available for free elsewhere. It becomes a scam when the company misrepresents its services or doesn’t deliver what it promised.

Student loan consolidation scams

Consolidation scams promise lower interest rates or simplified payments if you pay an upfront fee. Federal direct consolidation is free through official channels and doesn’t lower your interest rate the way private refinancing does.

Instead, federal consolidation combines multiple eligible federal loans into one. The new rate is based on the weighted average of your existing loan rates, rounded up under a federal formula. Scammers blur the difference between consolidation and refinancing and use a sense of urgency to push you into paying before you understand the offer.

Scammers often use search ads, emails, and text messages that include fake approval codes, documents made to look official, and high-pressure sales tactics. Their goals are to collect illegal upfront fees, trick you into giving them account access or authorization forms, divert payments, and steal personal information for fraud or identity theft.

PRO TIP: Unfamiliar email addresses or phone numbers that don’t match official sources are red flags for impersonation scams. If a message claims to be from Federal Student Aid, verify it before you respond. Official FSA emails only come from [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected]. At the time of writing, FSA says its official texts only come from 227722 or 51592.

2. Scholarship scams 

Scholarship scams are another common type of online scam that target students. The promise of free money grabs students’ attention, and application deadlines create pressure for them to act.

Students may encounter these scams through email, direct messages, campus flyers, paid social ads, text messages, and phone calls. The pitch often promises guaranteed funding but asks for an upfront application, placement, or service fee.

Some fraudsters impersonate Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) support services or claim to be affiliated with the Department of Education. Phone scams are especially common in this regard. If a caller says they’re from the Department of Education and asks for your FSA ID, hang up and contact official support directly.

FAFSA is the official application used to determine eligibility for federal student aid. It’s free to complete and submit through the official government site. You never need to pay anyone to access federal student aid or to submit the FAFSA.

3. Employment scams

Employment scams target students who want flexible work that offers immediate payment. Scammers make fake jobs look real by posting false listings, sending unsolicited offers, and posing as trusted organizations or individuals.

Students may encounter job scams on campus job boards, student email lists, Facebook groups, and other social media. The pitches often promise easy remote work, require no experience, offer very few hours, or advertise immediate sign-on bonuses.

On campus, scammers may impersonate professors or university departments. A message may use a real faculty member’s name but include a fake email address or phone number instead of official university contact information.

It may promote a paid research or assistant role with unusually high pay for minimal remote work, then ask students to reply with their name, department, and other contact details. Once a student responds, the scammer moves the conversation off the university system and continues the fraud by text, email, or phone.

After making contact, the scammer may switch to an overpayment scheme: The “employer” sends a fake check and tells you to buy gift cards, pay a vendor, or forward part of the money. The funds may appear available at first, but once the bank reverses the deposit, the scammer keeps whatever you already sent, and you are left to cover the loss.

In other cases, the scammer asks for your Social Security number (SSN), direct deposit details, or completed “employment forms” that authorize account changes. The goal is to steal your identity and payroll information, collect money through gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers, or gain access to your bank account.

PRO TIP: Search the company or person’s name plus words like “scam,” “review,” or “complaint” to see what other people are saying.

4. Rental scams 

Rental scams target students who need affordable housing close to campus, especially first-time renters who may not know the local market. Scammers often pose as landlords, leasing agents, or property managers to make fake listings look legitimate.

Students usually look for housing on rental marketplaces, classified sites, and campus Facebook groups. Scammers exploit those same platforms by copying photos from real listings, reposting legitimate properties, or creating entirely fake ads.

These scams often start with an offer that seems unusually attractive. The rent may be far below market rate, the unit may appear to be steps from campus, or utilities may be included at no extra cost. The scammer then creates a sense of urgency and tells you to act fast before someone else takes the property.

From there, the scam usually moves to payment or data collection. The scammer may demand a deposit before a tour, charge an application fee for a unit that doesn’t exist, ask for money to be wired to “hold” the apartment, or request sensitive identity documents such as passport scans or driver’s licenses to reserve the property. The goal may be to steal your money, your personal information, or both.

A related scam can also target students who are trying to sublet or relet their own housing. In this variation, the scammer pretends to be an interested renter, sends a check for too much money, and asks the student to forward the extra amount to movers or another third party. The student loses any money they forward.

PRO TIP: Students are common targets of check fraud. If someone sends you a check and tells you to send money back, buy gift cards, or purchase equipment, treat it as a warning sign. If the check turns out to be fake, you will likely lose the money you already sent or spent.

5. Textbook and school supply scams 

Educational supply scams target students looking for lower-cost course materials. Scammers advertise books in new or like-new condition at prices far below market value to make the deal look legitimate and hard to pass up.

Students may encounter these offers through search ads, social media posts, campus groups, online marketplaces, and direct messages. Common pitches include half-price textbooks, bundles with access codes, and international editions described as equivalent to US versions.

After a student agrees to buy, the scam can unfold in several ways. Some sellers take payment and ship nothing. Others send the wrong edition, a counterfeit copy, or a book in much worse condition than advertised. Some collect payment and then disappear.

Scammers often push for payment to be made through Zelle, gift cards, or cryptocurrency because these methods are hard to reverse. Venmo and similar payment apps can also be risky when you use them to pay strangers or send money as a personal payment instead of as a purchase. Some scammers go further and use fake checkout pages or account setup forms to steal personal and financial information.

6. Moving service scams 

Moving service scams target students who need affordable help during move-in or move-out from their accommodation. Scammers lure students with low quotes, student specials, and promises of flat rates or binding estimates.

These offers often appear in search ads, flyers, and online listings. Some scammers falsely claim to be licensed and insured or fail to provide valid licensing information when asked. They may demand a large deposit upfront or insist on cash or wire transfer.

After the move begins, the price often changes. The mover may add surprise charges for stairs, fuel, or long carries. In some cases, the company takes the deposit and never shows up. In others, the mover keeps the student’s belongings and refuses to deliver them until the student pays more than the original quote.

7. Unpaid tuition scams

Unpaid tuition scams impersonate bursar offices, student accounts staff, or financial services administrators. The message claims you have a balance due and warns that a hold will block enrollment, registration, or graduation unless you pay immediately.

These scams often arrive by email or phone and use school branding and fake invoice PDFs to appear legitimate and urgent language to encourage you to take action. They may threaten late fees, account suspension, or a hold within 24 hours.

The scammer then directs you to a spoofed payment portal or another unofficial link and tells you to pay by card or bank transfer. Their goal is to collect money outside official channels or steal your login credentials for school accounts and payment systems.

PRO TIP: Always verify tuition balances by logging in to the official platform through your school’s official website or by calling the bursar directly using a trusted phone number.

8. Test prep service scams

Test prep scams target students preparing for high-stakes exams such as the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, or language proficiency tests. Scammers exploit that pressure students feel to succeed by promising guaranteed score increases, offering access to supposed official test questions, or claiming they can take the exam for you.

These pitches often appear in social ads, direct messages, and referral texts. After a student responds, the scammer asks for a large upfront fee and may request personal information to register the student or access an exam account.

No legitimate test prep service can guarantee a specific score, and an offer from someone to take the exam for you falls within the range of academic fraud. The outcome can include lost money, stolen personal data, canceled scores, and serious academic or professional consequences.

9. Public Wi-Fi scams 

Public Wi‑Fi scams target students who connect to open networks in libraries, cafés, and other campus spaces. Attackers take advantage of the prevalence of public Wi-Fi use by setting up fake hotspots with names that look legitimate, such as “CampusGuest” or “LibraryFree.” In other cases, they exploit real networks that are poorly secured.

The scam usually begins when a student connects to one of these networks. A fake login page may then ask for a school email address, password, or other account details. Because the page looks official, students may enter their credentials without realizing the network is fraudulent.

The risk grows once a student starts using sensitive accounts on that connection. Logging in to school portals, checking bank accounts, or shopping online can expose usernames, passwords, payment information, and other personal data. In some cases, attackers may steal session tokens, which can let them stay signed in to the victim’s account without needing their password again.

How to spot student scams

To protect yourself, watch for the following warning signs, which apply across all types of student scams:

• Promises that sound too good to be true. Scammers often offer guaranteed loan forgiveness, guaranteed scholarships, guaranteed score increases, unusually cheap housing, half-price textbooks, or high pay for very little work.
• Requests for upfront payments. Be cautious if someone asks you to pay a deposit before touring a rental, send money to hold a textbook, or cover upfront costs for a job, moving service, or test prep offer.
• Pressure to act immediately. Many student scams create urgency by warning that a job will disappear, a rental will be taken, a tuition hold will go into effect, or a limited-time deal is about to expire.
• Requests for sensitive personal or financial information. Scammers may ask for your SSN, bank account information, direct deposit details, school login credentials, a passport scan, or driver’s license images.
• Unofficial contact methods. Many student fraud schemes start with a message from a Gmail address, an unfamiliar phone number, a social media account, or a direct message instead of an official school or company channel.
• Lookalike identities and fake branding. Scammers may use a real professor’s name, copy a university logo, imitate a bursar’s office, or build a website that looks authentic.
• Payment methods that are hard to reverse. Requests to use gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, Zelle, and peer-to-peer payment apps are common in student-targeted fraud.
• Fake checks. If someone sends too much money and asks you to forward part of it, you’re likely dealing with fraud.

What to do if you’ve become a victim of a student scam

If you’ve already sent money or shared personal information with a scammer or clicked a malicious link, focus on limiting the damage. Start with the accounts, payments, and devices most directly affected.

• Stop all contact with the scammer. Don’t send more money, reply to messages, or click any new links.
• Save the evidence. Keep emails, texts, screenshots, receipts, tracking numbers, payment confirmations, and website links.
• Contact your bank, card issuer, or payment app if you sent money or entered payment details. Ask whether they can stop, reverse, or dispute the transaction.
• Change your passwords if you shared login details or clicked a suspicious link. Start with your email, school account, banking apps, and any other affected accounts.
• Contact your school if the scam involved a professor, bursar, financial aid office, career services office, or another campus department. Find the correct contact information through the school’s official website or directory before reaching out.
• Change your FSA ID password at studentaid.gov if student loans or financial aid are involved. Also, contact your student loan servicer to check for unauthorized changes.
• Contact your federal loan servicer if the scam involved student loans or debt relief. Ask the servicer to revoke any power of attorney or third-party authorization on file and confirm that no unauthorized changes were made to your loans.
• Place a fraud alert or freeze your credit if someone may have your SSN, bank details, or identity documents.
• Run a security scan on your device if you clicked a phishing link, downloaded an attachment, or used a suspicious Wi‑Fi network.
• Monitor your accounts if you shared personal or financial information. Watch for suspicious charges, password reset emails, account alerts, any unfamiliar loans, or other unusual activity.

PRO TIP: Take the situation seriously even if you didn’t send money. A scammer can still use stolen personal information to commit “ghost student” fraud. In this type of fraud, a criminal uses your identity to create fake enrollment activity or apply for financial aid in your name.

Where to report student scams

Reporting student fraud can help protect your information and create a record of what happened.

1. Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
2. Report internet-based fraud to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov if the scam happened online.
3. File a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) at consumerfinance.gov/complaint if the fraud involved financial aid or student loan services.
4. Submit a report to the Department of Education Office of Inspector General Fraud Hotline at oig.ed.gov/oig-hotline if the incident involved fraud tied to student loans, debt relief, loan forgiveness, scholarships, or impersonation of education officials or agencies.
5. Report the incident to campus police or local law enforcement if it involved housing, an in-person exchange, stolen property, or someone impersonating your school.
6. Report identity theft at identitytheft.gov if your personal information was exposed.

How to protect yourself from student scams

Use these practical steps to protect yourself from scams targeting students:

• Use official channels. Apply for federal student aid through official government websites, and handle tuition, payroll, and school account matters through your institution’s official portal.
• Protect your student and financial logins. Never share your FSA ID, school login information, or multi-factor authentication (MFA) codes with anyone. Use strong, unique passwords and enable MFA on all accounts.
• Protect sensitive personal information. Don’t share your SSN, bank details, phone number, address, or scans of your passport or driver’s license unless you started the contact and verified the request.
• Use payment methods with fraud protection. Avoid gift cards, wire transfers, crypto, and other hard-to-reverse payment types.
• Be careful with public Wi‑Fi. Avoid logging in to school, banking, or shopping accounts on open public networks. Use a trusted network or your phone’s hotspot for sensitive activity.
• Limit what information you share publicly. Avoid posting details about your school, housing, daily routine, or finances on social media or public resumes. Scammers can use that information to tailor messages that may convince you that they’re real.
• Track your aid details. Keep records of the aid you applied for and received. Save receipts and statements in a secure place. Shred hard copies when you no longer need them.
• Consider added protection. Identity theft recovery services can provide professional support to help you regain control of your identity and may reimburse you for eligible expenses such as legal costs and lost wages.

NordProtect provides multiple layers of defense to help protect students from scams and reduce the harm if they fall for one. Its Scam Protection bundle includes dark web monitoring, browsing protection through NordVPN and Threat Protection Pro™, and cyber extortion insurance as well as online fraud insurance to help you stay alert, reduce risk, and recover if fraud occurs.

References

[1] M. Hanson, “Student Loan Debt Statistics,” EducationData.org, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-statistics 

[2] M. Hanson, “Student Loan Forgiveness Statistics,” EducationData.org, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://educationdata.org/student-loan-forgiveness-statistics