One in three students at British universities faced a rising threat of online fraud over the past year, according to a comprehensive study conducted by NatWest. The high street lender collaborated with consulting firm RedBrick to survey more than 3000 UK university students across 63 towns and cities in May.
The study highlighted that while a third of respondents reported encountering fraudulent activities in the previous 12 months, specific data on the number of successful scam incidents remains undisclosed. The most prevalent scams were delivery scams, with 14% of participants encountering phishing emails posing as reputable courier services, often prompting recipients to provide personal and financial details to reschedule supposed deliveries.
Additionally, NatWest noted frequent encounters with social media and HMRC tax scams, with a decrease in high street bank-related fraud from the previous year.
NatWest’s findings revealed that female students were slightly more prone to encountering scams within the past year, and they were more than twice as likely as male students to experience monetary losses. The average amount lost by fraud victims was around £80 ($102).
The study highlighted varying rates of susceptibility to fraud attempts among different cities, with students in Bournemouth being the most frequently targeted at 44%, followed by Edinburgh and Oxford. In contrast, Bristol and Leicester had the lowest incidence rates at 25%.
Jaimala Patel, Head of NatWest student accounts, emphasized the importance of vigilance among students in safeguarding their personal information against unexpected text messages, emails, or phone calls requesting sensitive details. The study underscored that both students and staff are susceptible to phishing attacks, particularly during the start of the academic year in September. Universities are advised to brace for a surge in ransomware attempts during the busy “clearing” period in the UK.
