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- Admission victims: Scammers trick applicants into paying before enrolling in a university
Admission victims: Scammers trick applicants into paying before enrolling in a university
The scammers have turned their attention to applicants who plan to enroll in universities on a fee basis. They call them and offer to pay tuition in advance to guarantee enrollment, Izvestia found out. In previous years, during the admission campaign, the victims of criminals were mostly those who wanted to get on the budget — fraudsters were selling free places at universities. But this year, the competition has also appeared among those who want to enroll on a paid basis, because the number of such places in some specialties has decreased, experts explain. As a result, fraudsters became interested in this part of sufficiently solvent applicants. How to recognize deception and not become a victim of it — in the material of Izvestia.
How scammers deceive applicants
Fraudsters have begun to use a new scheme to deceive applicants — they process those who plan to enroll in universities on a paid basis. The attackers contact them and offer to deposit money for tuition even before enrollment in order to gain an advantage over other applicants and accurately see their last name in the order. Alexander Perendzhiev, chief expert of the Moscow Anti-Corruption Committee, Associate professor of the Department of Political Analysis and Socio-Psychological Processes at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, told Izvestia about this deception scheme.
According to him, the situation with admission this year is tense, as the number of paid places in some specialties has been reduced, and fraudsters are trying to escalate the situation against this background.
— It used to be easier — I paid the money and was guaranteed admission. Now there is a competition even among paid users. That's where all these scam games start," Perendzhiev explained.
Starting from September 1, 2025, all Russian universities will be required to coordinate with the government the number of paid places in each specialty so that it corresponds to the real needs of the economy.
According to the Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov, the initiative is designed to reduce the graduation of qualified but unclaimed specialists. We are talking primarily about such areas of education as Economics and Management and Law.
And although the innovation will formally affect only the next admission campaign, the number of paid places is already decreasing. "This year, using all the available tools at hand, we, together with Rosobrnadzor and our colleagues from the regions, are starting to carry out this work," Falkov explained.
Ashot Oganesyan, founder of DLBI, a data leak intelligence and monitoring service, confirmed the active use of a fraudulent scheme with pre-payment for training. Alexandra Pozharskaya, an expert of the Popular Front project For Borrowers' Rights and the Moshelovka platform, also knows about it. According to her, applicants have been receiving calls from fake university representatives offering guaranteed places over the past few years. However, earlier, slightly different schemes were popular.
They are still being used — for example, scammers offer to buy a budget place, and also sell diplomas and certificates that allegedly confirm Olympic victories and other achievements and give additional points, Izvestia wrote earlier. Phishing is also often used: applicants are sent fake messages on behalf of the rector or university staff asking them to confirm their data or provide personal information. They also offer to submit an electronic application for admission to the university.
Izvestia sent a request to the Russian Interior Ministry about how applicants are being deceived now.
Popular Admission Fraud Schemes
The scam with early payment and guaranteed admission to a paid place does not always work. When publishing lists of applicants, it is increasingly not the full name that is used, but the applicant's unique identifier (ID), and to contact a potential victim, an open list must be leaked from the university admissions committee, said Ashot Oganesyan from DLBI. Fraudsters use lists from universities where the list of surnames is not hidden.
In July, during the active phase of the admission campaign, scammers offer applicants and their parents to "solve the issue" of enrolling for money in several ways. Fake orders to enroll in a paid place are one of the tactics, explained Alexandra Pozharskaya from the Popular Front.
However, the correct payment for tuition is made only after signing the contract and using the details of the university's cash register, Alexander Perendzhiev warned. Only this method guarantees, among other things, that in case of termination of the contract, the payer will be able to collect the amount paid for the training.
"There is no need to pay any other structures that act on behalf of universities or the Ministry of Science and Higher Education,— Perendzhiev stressed.
— Admission is a stressful period, but you cannot trust dubious "assistants". All decisions in universities are made openly, and any attempts to "speed up the process" for money is a deception," Alexandra Pozharskaya also warned.
According to her, in addition to the scheme with guaranteed income for prepayment that has become widespread this year, fraudsters continue to sell budget seats. Using this scheme, they claim that they have an agreement with the admissions committee and they can book a place for a bribe. For credibility, scammers provide fake enrollment lists with the victim's last name or fake enrollment orders.
Another way to deceive applicants and take money is to arrange false additional sets. To implement this scheme, the attackers create fictitious advertisements about the so-called additional enrollment in prestigious universities, where they allegedly can enter without competition, and demand to pay a "fee for reviewing documents" or "registration," Alexandra Pozharskaya added.
However, even after admission, one should not lose vigilance. At this stage, there is a possibility of becoming a victim of deception, having not yet fully understood the internal rules and requirements of the university. For example, fraudsters can contact already enrolled students or their parents, introduce themselves to employees of the accounting department or the dean's office and demand to pay additional expenses. Students are often added to fake channels and groups for first-year students, said Andrey Sidenko, head of online child safety at Kaspersky Lab.
How to protect yourself from scammers when applying
A number of tips will help minimize contacts with scammers. Traditionally, information should be checked only on the official websites of universities and colleges, where enrollment lists are publicly available, Alexandra Pozharskaya recommended.
— Do not believe in special schemes — legal admission takes place only through a competition, there are no secret lists. Do not pay intermediaries — bribes and agreements are criminalized, and scammers will simply disappear with the money," she explained.
A universal recipe is that before paying for something, you need to contact the organization through official channels and clarify not only the availability of such a service, but also the correctness of the details received, said Ashot Oganesyan from DLBI. It is dangerous to follow links from messages from unfamiliar numbers and to report codes from SMS, even if there are problems with documents, Andrey Sidorenko noted.
It is clear that graduates and their parents want to secure a place, but this is fraught with losing money or even participating in a criminal scheme, said Vladimir Ulyanov, head of the Zecurion analytical center. According to him, it is better to invest in the training itself than to sponsor scammers.
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