How to Spot Fake Scholarships and Study-Abroad Scams: 10 Warning Signs

The golden rule

• Genuine scholarships such as Chevening, Commonwealth, Fulbright and DAAD never ask you to pay to apply or to “secure” a scholarship.
• Always apply through the official website, never through a WhatsApp link or a stranger.

As more Pakistani students look abroad, scammers have become more creative. Fake scholarship pages, cloned university websites and dishonest “consultants” target students and parents every admission season. Here is how to protect yourself.

10 warning signs of a scam

1. You are asked to pay a fee for “processing”, “registration” or “guaranteed selection”.
2. “100% guaranteed visa” or “guaranteed scholarship”. No one can guarantee a visa decision.
3. You won a scholarship you never applied for.
4. Contact only through WhatsApp, Telegram or Gmail/Yahoo addresses instead of an official domain.
5. Pressure to act today: “only 2 seats left”, “offer expires tonight”.
6. Website addresses that look almost right, such as extra letters, wrong spellings or unusual endings.
7. Requests for your bank PIN, OTP or online banking password.
8. Offer letters with spelling mistakes, wrong logos, or no reference number.
9. Fake job offers abroad attached to “study visas”, asking for money up front.
10. Agents who refuse to give written receipts or a signed agreement.

How to verify any scholarship

• Find the scholarship on the funder’s own website (for example chevening.org, hec.gov.pk, usefp.org, daad.de).
• Check that the deadline and eligibility match what you were told.
• For university offers, email the admissions office using the address on the university’s official site to confirm the letter is real.
• Search the organisation’s name with words like “scam” or “fraud”.
• For HEC-managed scholarships, check announcements only on hec.gov.pk.

Choosing a genuine education consultant

• Ask which universities they officially represent. Many UK and Australian universities list their approved agents on their websites.
• Get every fee in writing and pay only by traceable methods with receipts.
• Never hand over your original passport or documents without a signed receipt.
• Remember that you can apply to most universities and scholarships directly and for free.

If you have been scammed

1. Stop all payments and contact your bank immediately to try to block or reverse transfers.
2. Save evidence: chats, emails, receipts, phone numbers and website links.
3. Report it to the FIA’s cybercrime reporting service and, if a university or embassy was impersonated, inform them too.
4. Warn others in your university and student groups.

Quick checklist before you pay anything

• ☐ I found this opportunity on the official website
• ☐ The email comes from an official domain
• ☐ I have a written fee breakdown and receipt
• ☐ No one asked for my OTP, PIN or password
• ☐ I confirmed the offer directly with the university or funder

Browse verified scholarship guides on Tajassus, each with a link to the official source.