Scam artists are capitalizing on opportunities presented by international students in the United Kingdom.
Heyy there! In 2024, the BBC unraveled a worldwide fraud scheme – a network of individuals posing as recruiters who targeted foreign students aiming to stay in the UK. These con artists sold sponsorship certificates (CoS) — essential documents for obtaining a work visa — for up to £17,000 ($22,800), even though the certificates were offered for free. The victims' total losses mounted to millions – a single scammer raked in around £1.2 million ($1.6 million). Most of these fabricated CoS were later rejected by government authorities, leaving students stranded and broke.
After this expose, the platform Student Circus launched an extensive educational project, focusing on warnings about potential risks and scam schemes. By sharing real-life examples, they alert foreigners to the fact that scammers view international students as easy prey. One such unfortunate instance involved a student who believed the lies of con men posing as IT recruitment agency employees. She dished out £2,500 (around $3,300) for training, only to discover that her 'training' was just an online course on a third-party website. To improve her chances of success in an interview, she was advised to aggrandize her IT experience. Rather quickly, she too realized she'd been duped.
Tripthi Maheshwari, co-founder and director of Student Circus, shared with journalists that this case was an indication of how pervasive the issue of students falling prey to scams is. To combat this, they offer tips on how to distinguish between legitimate and unscrupulous employers, and how to spot red flags when interacting with recruiters.
As a protective measure, British universities like the University of Kent, Henley Business School, University of Brighton, Robert Gordon University, Queen Mary University of London, and others are making attempts to inform students of the dangers through social media, newsletters, and their career centers.
The number of job vacancies for university graduates in the UK has been on a downturn for several years, while the competition amongst applicants grows fierce. According to BBC, the number of student job visa applications went up sixfold from June 2022 to June 2023, from 3,966 to 26,000. However, according to the UK government, only 210,000 students received such visas in 2024, a 37% drop compared to the previous year.
The official registry of accredited employers authorized to issue certificates of sponsorship comprises over 100,000 entries. However, only 10% of these companies regularly post job openings. Furthermore, having accreditation doesn’t mean the employer is genuinely interested in hiring recent graduates.
Universities emphasize the importance of safeguarding online credentials, as institutions like De Montfort University have warned students to be especially cautious with their passwords and multi-factor authentication codes to keep criminals from accessing sensitive information. The UK government is tightening immigration policies in response to this increase in student visa scams and asylum seekers. Improved awareness sessions and informational materials about scams become standard during orientation and throughout the academic year.
- The expose by the BBC in 2024 revealed a widespread scam involving fraudulent sale of sponsorship certificates for up to £17,000, essentially targeting foreign students aiming to work in the UK.
- In response, the platform Student Circus initiated an extensive educational project, providing warnings about potential scams and risks in the realm of business, education-and-self-development, and finance, particularly focusing on foreign students.
- The official registry of accredited employers authorized to issue certificates of sponsorship contains over 100,000 entries; however, only about 10% of these companies regularly post job openings, highlighting the need for students to be aware of these statistics when seeking employment.
- International students must maintain vigilance in protecting their online credentials, given the increase in scams and the UK government's efforts to strengthen immigration policies in response to these issues, including offering improved awareness sessions and informational materials about scams during orientation and throughout the academic year.
