Fraud Targeting the Education Sector – Would Your Staff Spot the Common Scams?

The education sector is frequently a prime target for criminals, so it’s important that staff in schools are aware of the common scams so they know what to look out for. Read about some prominent types of fraud we’ve seen recently.

Email Compromise Scams are emails sent to the school, where fraudsters impersonate their suppliers, or school staff. The email will relate to a bank payment and will contain fraudulent account details. It could relate to an existing invoice, a one off payment, or staff salary details.

Scam Calls – These are calls to the school where the scammer often impersonates a member of bank staff. They are likely to say that transactions need verifying for security reasons or because they appear to be suspicious. They will tell school staff to visit a particular website, to then click on a link or log into online banking. Ultimately scammers will be trying to take control of your PC, viewing the online banking passwords you enter.

Fake Online Banking Sites - If you use an internet search engine to find your Online Banking page, you could be directed to a fake website. Fraudsters set up these sites to steal passwords and secure codes.

Top Tips:

• Check all email requests from suppliers or school staff if they contain an account number to be paid. Verify the account details using an alternative communication method, such as phoning on a known number for the supplier or staff member. Don’t rely on the telephone number from the email.
• Don’t log onto your PC or visit a website for anyone who calls out of the blue. Never disclose online banking passwords or secure transaction codes over the phone to anyone - If you get a call like this, hang up immediately and call your bank on 159 which is a number for urgent help with fraud.
• Always type the correct URL for your Online Banking service into your address bar rather than using a search engine. If you don’t know the URL, find it via your bank’s main website home page.

You can learn more about fraud scams using our free 30 minute online training course. Fraud security video | Commercial Fraud | Lloyds Bank