The Student Loans Company (SLC) is warning Freshers and all students to be on their guard as the new term starts, and not be tricked into disclosing any financial details or clicking on links in emails or text messages, as they could be installing malware.

Fraudsters often target students with bogus emails and SMS around the three loan instalment periods in September, January and April each year. In the last two academic years alone SLC’s dedicated counter fraud teams have prevented almost half a million pounds from being phished from students’ loans. The expert teams have a range of methods and fraud analytics to stop scammers in their tracks, but students need to know that they themselves are the best and first line of defence.

Spotting a phishing email or SMS isn’t always easy but the Student Loans Company has five fraud facts to help:

• Be suspicious of any requests for personal or financial information. SLC or Student Finance England (SFE) will never ask you to confirm your bank details or login information by email or text message.

• Phishing emails are often sent in bulk and are unlikely to contain both your first and last name; they commonly start, ‘Dear Student’ so be on guard if see one like this.

• Check the quality of the communication – misspelling, poor punctuation and bad grammar are often tell-tale signs of phishing.

• ‘Failure to respond in 24 hours will result in your account being closed’ – these types of messages are designed to convey a sense of urgency to prompt a quick response.

• Think before you click. If you receive an email or SMS that contains a link that you’re not sure of then try hovering over to check that it goes where it’s supposed to. If you’re still in any doubt don’t risk it, always go direct to the source rather than clicking on a potentially dangerous link.

Steven Darling, Director for Repayment and Counter Fraud Strategy at the Student Loans Company, said: “We’re reminding all students that we’ll never request their personal or banking details by email or text message.

“Online fraudsters are well aware that students are receiving their first instalment of the year soon. They will try to target them and their parents or partners with emails and texts requesting personal and banking details to access their accounts.

Anyone who receives a suspicious email should send it to phishing@slc.co.uk. SLC can investigate the site and ensure it is shut down, to help protect other students.”

Find out more about online safety by watching our phishing video

The UK Government has today (Monday 16 September) launched a major information campaign urging UK nationals living in and travelling to the EU to take steps to get ready for Brexit on 31 October.

The information campaign will inform the more than one million UK nationals living in the EU about specific actions they need to take to secure their rights and services in their host country, including information on residency, healthcare, driving licences and passports.

It will also encourage people travelling to the EU to make all necessary preparations by checking passports, buying travel insurance and checking driving licenses and pet passports.

The campaign will use multiple channels – including social media, online and offline media – urging people to take action ahead of 31 October.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

We are stepping up efforts to ensure Britons abroad are prepared for Brexit on 31 October. This campaign provides practical advice to the more than one million British people living in the EU, as well as British tourists and business travellers.

The UK Government recently announced up to £3 million in grant funding for charities and other voluntary organisations who can inform UK nationals about the need to register or apply for residency and to support them as they complete their applications.

The Government also allocated an extra £300,000 to British Embassies and Consulates across the EU to engage with ‘hard to reach’ UK nationals such as disabled people, those living in remote areas or people who might need extra help to complete any paperwork in preparation for Brexit. This extra assistance will build on the support that British Embassies are already providing with more than 541 outreach events with UK nationals since November 2017.

Europe is the most popular travel destination for British travellers, with around 60 million visits every year.

The new information campaign asks UK nationals living in Greece to take action to prepare for Brexit by checking the Living in Greece Guide at gov.uk/livingingreece and:

• apply for residency
• register for healthcare
• exchange their UK driving licence for a Greek one
• check their passport is valid for travel

Detailed annual statistics on family food and drink purchases.