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- The weak link: what schemes to expect from scammers on the topic of admission to universities
The weak link: what schemes to expect from scammers on the topic of admission to universities
Fraudsters can use a variety of schemes to deceive Russians and their children during the summer admission campaign to universities, experts have warned about this. Attackers offer "accelerated" or "alternative" ways of crediting for money, but in fact they use these pretexts to deceive potential victims. For more information about what schemes to expect from scammers before the 2025 summer admission campaign, what are the dangers of these tricks and how to protect yourself from them, see the Izvestia article
What is the topic of university admission interesting to scammers?
The topic of university admission attracts intruders because of the high involvement and emotional stress of applicants and their parents, says Vitaly Fomin, head of the information security analyst group at the Digital Economy League, in an interview with Izvestia.
— The desire to enroll in a prestigious university, especially with low exam scores, makes people vulnerable to unequivocal promises of "help," says the expert.
The admission campaign is a complex process, and it is not always transparent for applicants, which creates the basis for phishing attacks, Vitaly Fomin notes. As a rule, scammers rely on the fear of an applicant's failure by offering "accelerated" or "alternative" enrollment methods, as well as the sale of fake certificates, "closed lists" and similar pseudo-services.
At the same time, the attackers' main goal is to gain access to "Public Services", regional services, and personal information such as passport data and bank details. From the point of view of social engineering, applicants are an ideal target: limited life experience, weak critical filter, expectation of adult support, adds Yakov Filevsky, expert in sociotechnical testing at Angara Security.
"Parents often show expressed trust in reputable sources and messages written in an official style," the specialist emphasizes.
What fraud schemes should be expected in the admission campaign – 2025
In 2025, we should expect an increase in the phishing wave, which is aimed at university commissions that process applicants' personal data, Dmitry Tsarev, head of the BI.ZONE cloud cybersecurity solutions department, said in an interview with Izvestia.
"Mail remains the main channel for network penetration, so universities may also face an increase in such threats," the expert says. — Besides phishing, there are other methods such as vishing and smishing, which complicate the task of detecting malicious messages, links and data.
The admissions committees employ both experienced staff and undergraduates who work part-time in the summer. Young participants in the process may become victims of phishing due to lack of experience and gullibility, even despite technical literacy, Dmitry Tsarev notes.
In turn, Vitaly Fomin warns about the risk of fake websites imitating official university admissions offices with data entry fields. It is also impossible to exclude the appearance of fraudulent chatbots and the sale of fake electronic enrollment certificates. In addition, there may be an increase in the number of fake university courses that supposedly increase the chances of admission.
— Another trend is the use of deepfake technologies to create videos with the participation of "rectors" or "admissions committee members" offering special admission conditions, - says the expert. — This option is unlikely to be used en masse, as long as deepfake technologies are imperfect, but it cannot be guaranteed that such a method of deception is completely excluded.
Fraudsters can search for potential victims in different ways, says Evgeny Egorov, a leading analyst at the Digital Risk Protection department at F6. In particular, users of specialized Telegram chats and social media communities are at risk of being targeted by intruders: attackers can write to them personally with an offer of "assistance" services in "guaranteed" admission, or post such a message in the chat or community itself.
What fraud schemes on the topic of university admission have you encountered before
During last year's admission campaign, scammers on social networks actively posed as university admissions officers, Konstantin Gorbunov, a leading expert on network threats and web developer of the Security Code company, said in an interview with Izvestia.
"They offered gullible users to buy a budget place at the desired university, sometimes for a lot of money, and if the latter, despite the oxymoron of the situation, agreed, then after receiving the payment, the attackers disappeared from the radar," says the specialist.
Fraud schemes do not run out, however, as public awareness of fraud increases, schemes such as the sale of a "diploma" in a subway crossing have practically disappeared, adds Ksenia Akhrameeva, Candidate of Technical Sciences, head of the Laboratory for the Development and promotion of cybersecurity competencies at the Gazinformservice Analytical Center for Cybersecurity.
Fraud schemes related to university admission carry the greatest risk for adolescents with high anxiety and a mindset of "maximum results at any cost," parents with a lack of information, prone to overprotection or catastrophization, as well as for families with limited resources but high expectations, notes Yakov Filevsky.
— Among the most likely dangers, of course, are loss of funds, leakage of personal data, involvement in illegal activities (for example, charges related to bribes), cancellation of exams, as well as long-term consequences.: stress, the formation of learned helplessness and distrust of institutions," says the expert.
A separate risk group includes foreign and nonresident students who are poorly versed in the rules for submitting documents and changing admission waves, Vitaly Fomin notes. It is important for such people to study the conditions of admission to universities especially carefully and to be wary of any offers of help.
How to protect yourself from fraud schemes on the topic of admission to universities?
During the period of admission to universities, it is important to remain vigilant — both for applicants and their parents, as well as representatives of educational institutions, Evgeny Tsarev says in an interview with Izvestia. BI.ZONE Brand Protection specialists pay attention to the growth of fraudulent schemes and recommend carefully checking website addresses, as well as paying attention to their appearance.
— Be careful when redirecting to third-party resources and when making calls from unknown numbers, during which they offer services for payment in advance or ask you to provide personal information, — the expert advises.
According to Olga Svistunova, senior content analyst at Kaspersky Lab, during the university admission period it is important to be critical of any tempting offers on the Web, not to succumb to manipulation, and to use specialized solutions to protect against phishing and scam resources.
It is necessary to submit and track the status of an application for admission only on the official portal of the university or on the "Public Services", advises Konstantin Gorbunov. If you have received a newsletter about the alleged victory in the admission competition and the requirement to make an advance payment for the hostel, then you should always double—check this information, for example, by calling the hotline of the admissions committee, whose contacts are available on the university's website.
— In no case should you make any "fixing" payments that ensure a budget place or priority in the competition, — the specialist emphasizes.
At the same time, digital security is no less relevant for universities: during the admission campaign, the load on e-mail and other communication channels increases. Therefore, it is necessary to provide multi-level protection against phishing, spam and malware, as well as monitor DNS traffic in order to promptly block abnormal activity, supporting the continuous operation of the organization, concludes Evgeny Tsarev.
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