Student loan phishing scams: Information for staff

14 Sep 2011

The Student Loans Company are urging University students to stay safe and not to reveal their login or personal bank details online in response to phishing scams which are common at the three main instalment payment dates in September, January and April.

Phishing happens when criminals send very convincing emails, that appear to come from legitimate organisations, requesting personal information and passwords for fraudulent purposes. The My Manchester newsfeed to students provides an example of a recent scam which uses the official Directgov logo and requests students update their login details in order to receive their loan.

If you are informed that a student believes that their SLC login name, password or bank details have been disclosed, you should tell them to change their password immediately and forward the email to phishing@slc.co.uk as soon as possible. If their account has been compromised, the SLC will investigate the incident.

The SLC have produced helpful guidance to help students stay safe online.

It should also be remembered that passwords to University systems should never be shared with anyone, and students or other members of staff should never be asked to disclose them.

Barbara Frost
Information Security Manager
The University of Manchester

0161 275 2122 / barbara.frost@manchester.ac.uk