Hi I’m Aysha, the University of Edinburgh’s Digital Safety Intern. If you are going on a study exchange soon, this blog is for you. It’s important to be aware of different types of scams that Go Abroad students are commonly targeted with and how you can avoid them – so read on!

Firstly: housing scams!

This is one of the most common issues experienced by students going on exchange.  These are when properties are listed but do not exist, are filled with problems not advertised and when landlords make you pay illegal fees.

You should research the location you are moving to, including finding any guides made by the Government or University on how to find a flat and processes for renting. These will allow you to have benchmarks to assess properties and processes by.

Often universities have a small contingency of housing for exchange students, with contracts suiting your exchange semester/year abroad. If it is possible, always apply to these first – renting from the University adds a layer of protection and you might find it useful for socialising too.

Some students choose to find their own accommodation. As in Edinburgh, there are multiple types of housing including private student accommodation and private flats you can rent.

There are various places you can find good information for where to find housing including: the host university’s website, the UK embassy of the country you are visiting, and articles from other exchange students in the city you are moving to. Connecting on LinkedIn with other exchange students from your university can be a good way to find out about how others conducted their accom search and managed any contextual risks.

For an exchange period, I would recommend finding a reputable (and well-reviewed) private student accommodation if you cannot get a place in University accom.

The second big risk is scholarship scams.

Studying abroad can be expensive and many students try to find funds or scholarships to make the journey a little bit easier.

When looking at scholarships, begin first with the University of Edinburgh, and then look at the host university you will be attending. You could consider emailing your school/student development office and EUSA if they know any funds that students can apply for.

Widening your search requires you to be a lot more aware of the possibility that you might be scammed. Scholarship providers can vary – from private companies offering short-term funds to larger institutions promoting prestigious offers (Fulbright).

Check institutions in the city you are moving to that have links to UK Higher Education, as there might be country/nationality specific funds available.

In the US, some helpful websites for navigating your options are:

International Student Scholarship Search & International Financial Aid

International Scholarships | Funding for US Study

Scholarships advertised as guaranteed are almost certainly always scams – you should look at the process of selection for who gets the scholarship and what they ask from you to help check it’s legitimate. Application fees for scholarships are another red flag – you should not have to pay to apply for a scholarship from a reputable institution. Scam scholarships might ask you for loans to be paid as well – this is not how a scholarship should work so beware of that.

Last but not least: Visa scams.

These are common for students applying for residency or student visas abroad for the duration of their exchange. You might be lucky enough to avoid applying for a visa, but scammers might target you anyway (pretty easy to tell it’s a scam in this instance).

These scams involve criminals contacting you claiming that you need to pay extra fees, or that your payment did not go through, or is late. These commonly come through the phone or email, and involve a strong sense of urgency. They might threaten you with deportation or cancellation of your visa.

Many of these scam requests for ‘visa’ money ask you to pay through services such as Western Union – not a service that an official Visa office will ask you to use.

Another visa scam involves criminals asking people to provide a certain amount of money to prove they are able to stay abroad for the intended period. This is based on a common feature of visa applications where you are asked to provide evidence that you have enough funds, but not actually the funds themselves! Do not fall for this scam and give away any money.

Be sure to take time for these application processes, as applying to study abroad and the admin that goes alongside it should be done in a careful and considered way, without panic. Check that the website you are using is the official one, and don’t access it through links in emails – particularly if they look suspicious.

If you do find yourself being the victim of a scam while applying for, or during your exchange, do the following:

• Freeze bank accounts if you have given scammers details of them. Tell your bank if you think a transaction is fraudulent or scam-related, and they can stop the transaction if quick enough.
• Contact Edinburgh Global to let them know what has happened.
• Contact the student advisor/exchange student team at your host university – they might be able to direct you to local resources.
• Contact the authorities in the country you are in (US: Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line, France: Online scams are reported through THESEE, Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Center).
• Edinburgh Law School has a free legal advice centre, whom you might find useful if you have questions about legal channels you want to pursue.

Thank you for reading this blogpost – hope you have an amazing (and smooth) study exchange!

Scam Awareness: Study Abroad edition / Digital Skills, Design and Training by is licensed under a