Digital fraud warning for the back-to-school season: Beware of scholarship and discount promises

With the opening of schools, students and parents have begun to conduct more intensive online transactions for educational expenses and school needs. Experts warn that this period may also be seen as an opportunity by fraudsters.

It is stated that messages sent with phrases such as "you have won a scholarship," "you have received a discount on tuition fees," "a course discount has been defined," or "there is an outstanding tuition fee to be paid" should be examined carefully. Such messages may aim to capture personal and financial information by directing users to fake links.

According to experts, fraudsters resort to "phishing" methods using emails, SMS, and websites that imitate reliable institutions. Messages that create the impression that an urgent payment is required can lead users to download malicious software or share bank card, password, and identity information.

Doing school shopping online is also one of the factors that increase the risk. Fake pages that resemble real shopping sites may try to obtain parents' payment information with promises of large discounts. Similarly, messages sent using the names of well-known shipping companies, such as "delivery failed" or "you need to pay a small fee," also stand out as traps.

It is also emphasized that fraudsters can make fake content more convincing by utilizing tools such as artificial intelligence and deepfake. Therefore, just because a message looks visually professional or carries the name of a familiar institution does not mean it is safe.

THINGS TO PAY ATTENTION TO

Experts recommend, in particular, checking link addresses, carefully examining the domain names of email senders, and making official institution or school payments only through verified channels.

• - Do not click on unknown links and do not open suspicious emails.
• - Do not share your personal, financial, or school account information via message.
• - Use different, strong passwords for each account.
• - Keep operating systems and security software up to date.
• - Be careful against grammatical errors in messages, expressions that create urgency, and unusual payment requests.
• - Keep your devices locked and back up your data regularly.
• - Get information from school or university administration about security and privacy policies.

When encountering a payment or scholarship notification that appears to have come from authorities or school administration, it is recommended to verify it through the institution's official website or known communication channels instead of clicking on the link in the message.