Scams which target students are common at this time of the year, particularly concerning Student Finance, so please be vigilant and think before you click/reply to anything.
Check out these important points from Student Finance:
- We’ll never contact students through social media channels such as WhatsApp or Instagram.
- Please review the spelling and grammar of the message as poor punctuation and misspelling are often signs of smishing (fraud involving text messages).
- Keep an eye out for any suspicious emails, calls or texts around the time of an expected payment.
- Scam emails are often sent in bulk and commonly start with ‘Dear Student’ rather than personal names.
- Urgent messages are usually not genuine, for example ‘’failure to respond in 24 hours will result in your account being closed’.
- Think before you click by hovering over a link first and if in doubt do not risk selecting it.
- Always use official phone numbers, the online account and official communication channels to verify the contact received is genuine.
- Be mindful of information you share about yourself online, to help guard against identity theft.
- SLC, Student Finance England (SFE), Student Finance Wales (SFW) or Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI) send a text message to students if a change has been made to their bank details. If you haven’t changed your bank details and receive a message, please contact SFE, SFW or SFN immediately.
- You can find guidance on identifying a scam on GOV.UK.
If you receive a suspicious message, you should report it immediately by emailing report@phishing.gov.uk and call our dedicated hotline on 0300 100 0059.
You can also find a range of additional advice and information on recognising and avoiding scams from Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
Emails targeting your student email are also common, particularly at the start of new academic years. Check out these useful tips from our LIS team:
Third-party Services (e.g. Yearbooks and Hoodies)
The University is not officially affiliated with services such as MyYearbook or external hoodie vendors.
If you receive emails promoting these services, please be aware that they are not sent by the University, and you will not be contacted directly about purchasing these items. Any communications suggesting otherwise should be treated with caution and verified before engaging.
Payment-related Emails
All legitimate university emails relating to payments will come from an @chester.ac.uk email address — for example, noreply@chester.ac.uk or fees@chester.ac.uk. If you receive a payment request and are unsure about its legitimacy, do not click on any links or respond directly. Instead, contact the finance team via email on fees@chester.ac.uk to confirm its authenticity before taking any further action.
