Attention university students: You could be scammed while trying to get a scholarship

There are only a few days left until the new academic year begins at universities. While students are busy with school registrations, they are also doing their best not to miss out on scholarship opportunities from foundations. However, scammers have also turned their attention to the scholarships provided by foundations to students.

Scammers, who promise scholarships using fake foundation names, open accounts at electronic payment institutions in the names of the students whose information they have obtained. Money from illegal gambling is then transferred through these accounts. According to a report by Sabah, while some students believe the scholarship promises they receive via SMS or encounter on social media applications, others have fallen into the trap of scammers who appear at the top of search engine results because they pay for Google advertisements.

8 websites used by scammers, which also imitate the names of some well-known foundations, have been identified.

These websites and the foundation names they imitate are as follows:

"Doğa ve Gelecek Vakfı (DOGEV), Yenilik ve Doğa Vakfı (YENVAK), Meltem Vakfı (MELVAK), Gençlik Burs Vakfı (GENÇLİKBURSVAKFI), Sevgiye Gelecek Vakfı (SEVGİYEGELECEK), Yeni Çınar Maddi Destek Vakfı, Yüce Kültür Vakfı, Destek Vakfı Engelsiz Yaşam Eğitim Bursu and their associated websites."

It has been learned that the scammers give the students they have trapped their own phone numbers and email addresses, and have them open accounts on Papara, a money transfer and payment institution, using that information.

It has been learned that scammers mostly use this method to transfer money earned through illegal gambling traffic. Although individuals may not appear to have suffered a financial loss at first, they could face criminal sanctions if their accounts are identified during a money laundering investigation conducted by the police. Papara is also working with police units here to help catch the scammers.

THEY SEND MONEY FIRST, THEN ASK FOR MONEY

Speaking on the condition that their photos and surnames not be shared, students who fell into the scammers' trap shared their experiences. A student named Yağmur said, "They took all my information under the guise of a scholarship application and made me open a Papara account. They said they would provide 3970 TL in financial aid every month. First, they sent 110 TL to my account and asked me to send 105 TL to verify the account. I sent it, but then when I shared it with my family, I realized I had been deceived by malicious individuals."

Aybüke stated, "In the name of the Doğa ve Gelecek Vakfı, they asked me—and my father, because I already had a Papara account they wanted—for our full names, dates of birth, Turkish ID numbers, active phone numbers, IBAN numbers, and the university department I am studying in. They also asked me to enter my own information into an account opened using their own phone number and email address."

Another student, Murat, said, "They took all my information under the guise of a scholarship application and made me open a Papara account; they said they would provide 2500 TL in financial aid. First, they sent 105 TL to my account and asked me to send 100 TL to verify the account. I sent it, but then I realized they were deceptive after seeing complaints about them."

BE CAREFUL NOT TO FALL INTO THE TRAP!

To avoid falling into scholarship traps, students should not share their personal information with any website or person they do not trust. No association or foundation that is serious about scholarships will ask for a password or verification code sent to your phone via social media channels or by calling you, so these should not be shared.

If an account has been opened in your name at a bank or an electronic money and payment services institution, you should contact the relevant institution and request that your account be closed. It is also beneficial to file a criminal complaint by writing to the cybercrimes unit on the Police website or by going to the nearest prosecutor's office.

News Source: 12punto