Scholarship Fee and Fake Portal Scam on WhatsApp

How it looks on WhatsApp, the red flags and what to do.

WhatsApp is private and fast, which scammers like: a "wrong number" chat can turn into a task, an investment tip or a payment request within minutes. Scholarship Fee and Fake Portal Scam is one of the ways this shows up: Students and parents get messages about a big scholarship that needs a processing fee or bank details. The portal is fake and the money is gone.

What scholarship fee and fake portal scam looks like on WhatsApp

• A message from an unknown number, often with a stock photo of a smiling person.
• A friend or relative asking for urgent money from a new number or a hacked account.
• A group invite promising returns, jobs or prizes.

The scammer buys lists of student contacts or scrapes names from public results and social posts. The message uses the name of a government scheme, a foundation or a big company's programme. It congratulates the student and gives a link and a reference number. Some come as emails with a certificate attached. All say the grant will be sent to the bank account after verification.

Red flags to check on the WhatsApp message

• A scholarship arrives that you never applied for.
• A processing or verification fee is demanded.
• The portal asks for Aadhaar and bank details at once.
• A caller wants an OTP to credit the amount.
• Someone asks for the six-digit code WhatsApp sent you by SMS.
• A new number says it is someone you know and asks for money; call the real person on the old number first.

What to do

1. Do not pay or upload documents on the portal.
2. Ask the school or college office whether the scholarship is real.
3. Find scholarship information on the official government portal typed by hand.
4. Open the chat, tap the contact name and choose Block and report.
5. If it was a "friend", call them on the number you already have and ask.
6. Turn on two-step verification in WhatsApp settings so a stolen SMS code is not enough.

Inside WhatsApp use Block and report; for numbers that call or text you, the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) also takes complaints.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 if any money was taken, giving the payee details.
2. Tell your bank through the number on your card if you shared bank details or an OTP.
3. File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in with the message and portal address.
4. Keep watch for loans or accounts opened with the student's documents.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio Sentinel's scam check lets a parent or student paste the message and shows signals such as a prize never applied for, a fee to receive money and an OTP request. The link check helps you look at the portal address before opening it. A parent can set up the family so children get help from someone they trust. It cannot confirm whether a scholarship is real, so ask the school.

Full guide: Scholarship Fee and Fake Portal Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: SMS, email.

Questions