WEBVTT - Education feature: Study Abroad Scams: Why it is crucial to verify before you fly 0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:04.040 Children to education. Welcome back. 0:00:04.080 --> 0:00:06.680 It is time for our education feature right chair on 0:00:06.800 --> 0:00:09.520 seven oh two. And I'm excited to have this conversation 0:00:09.560 --> 0:00:13.160 because it's an important one around raising awareness. I really 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:16.640 hope that many of those listening, young people and old 0:00:16.680 --> 0:00:22.160 really that are looking to pursue these opportunities abroad will 0:00:22.160 --> 0:00:23.800 be empowered by this conversation. 0:00:23.840 --> 0:00:24.960 We're speaking about. 0:00:24.920 --> 0:00:29.920 Steady abroad scams and the importance around verifying before you fly. 0:00:30.400 --> 0:00:32.800 And joining me for that conversation is Domin Gorcy. 0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:35.839 She's the spokesperson for Rosebank colleague who's been looking at this. 0:00:36.520 --> 0:00:38.239 Welcome to the show. Thank you for joining. 0:00:38.080 --> 0:00:41.920 Us, good even and promoted the shout out to obumafango 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:44.640 in and good evening to your listiness. Thank you for 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:45.280 having me. 0:00:45.320 --> 0:00:47.040 Thank you so much for coming on. 0:00:47.520 --> 0:00:49.599 Do mean, maybe we can just start with you know, 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:54.640 how how big a challenge are these steady abroad scams? 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:56.720 You know, I was saying a little earlier in the 0:00:56.720 --> 0:01:02.360 show that I've seen some adverts for scholarship sometimes on 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:07.959 the internet and fellowships that look really really tempting, only 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:08.639 to find out. 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:08.960 That they're sake. 0:01:10.680 --> 0:01:13.479 Oh no, absolutely, And that's a great question to keep 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:16.080 us a what I hope will be a fascinating discussion. 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:20.240 So if you look at what the scam really is about, 0:01:20.240 --> 0:01:23.880 it become part of a larger global scam and asper 0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:28.280 the Global Anti Scam Alliance. Just last year alone, scammers 0:01:28.760 --> 0:01:31.480 sit front of not a million, not a billion, but 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:36.720 more than one trillion dollars in money from unsuspecting people. 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:39.440 So the real reason really why it happens is that 0:01:39.680 --> 0:01:42.600 you have people who dream really big, and you also, unfortunately, 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:45.240 you have desperate people and on the other side you 0:01:45.280 --> 0:01:47.400 have people that are able to meet a quick buck. 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:49.640 It is a growing trend if to look critic trade, 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:52.120 and that is the reason really why you would find 0:01:52.800 --> 0:01:56.320 these large amounts of scams, and specifically scams within the 0:01:56.520 --> 0:02:00.520 education sector, as you have already said, coming in different forms, 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:05.200 mostly un solicited, but still mostly in many cases, which 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:08.440 is too good to be true. So the simple reason why, okay, 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:11.000 really is that it's lucrative and there's people that fall 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:14.560 victim to these and people that are opportunistic, so we 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:16.160 have a very fertile ground for this. 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:19.560 Yeah, I mean by definition, I know it might sound 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:23.480 like it's it's obvious, but what would be what is 0:02:23.520 --> 0:02:26.519 a study abroad scam or how how would we be 0:02:26.560 --> 0:02:27.400 able to define it. 0:02:28.880 --> 0:02:33.760 So the study of broad scams specifically would involve criminals 0:02:34.240 --> 0:02:39.359 contacting people claiming that they are legit or providers or 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:43.360 brocus of opportunities for students to have their ability or 0:02:43.360 --> 0:02:46.720 the siedom to go over things to go study there. 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:50.639 And it happens in a various ways. The first one 0:02:50.639 --> 0:02:54.680 you have already mentioned that it would be versively of 0:02:54.720 --> 0:02:57.600 scholarships that are being offered to you. You get them 0:02:57.639 --> 0:03:02.160 in the form of fake universities, fake programs. You also 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:05.440 get visa and immigration scams, which are growing in popularity 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:11.040 as you know, destinations that are sought after affecting to 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:14.840 to to to stop the inflow of people that are 0:03:14.919 --> 0:03:18.240 visiting as working with the United States and other places. 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:23.920 You also have specialized scams like housing scams where you 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:27.200 are offered an opportunity to go stay at a specific 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:31.120 place while you study abroad. The scholarships and financial aid fraud, 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:34.560 and also other really really frightening ones like that you 0:03:34.600 --> 0:03:38.160 are kidnapping as well as money neal skins. So that's 0:03:38.160 --> 0:03:40.680 basically what it means, and some of the different forms 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:43.520 that these types of Sidia broad scams can take. 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:46.320 Yeah, I was about to ask, I mean, what are 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:49.320 the different types, because I did imagine that it wouldn't 0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:54.040 just be an organization purporting to be wanting to pay 0:03:54.080 --> 0:03:57.280 for your fees. I'd imagine there's a wide range, and 0:03:57.320 --> 0:04:01.080 that's what makes it so difficult to detect to scam. 0:04:02.000 --> 0:04:04.960 Oh no, absolutely, I think where you see pockets of 0:04:05.040 --> 0:04:08.520 opportunity where people might want to tap in and and 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:12.320 and and benefit themselves, you would find such scams. And 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:16.120 these three areas would be opportunities for a place in 0:04:16.160 --> 0:04:18.480 a university, and we all know that those are being 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:21.880 She went far between. The second one would be opportunities 0:04:21.880 --> 0:04:24.040 for you to stay at a place while you're studying there, 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:28.200 which is also an area of scarcity both locally and abroad. 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:31.359 And the third part would be opportunities for as you 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:34.279 had said, for the university to pay for your feet 0:04:34.520 --> 0:04:36.839 that you would't have to. So these are sort of 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:39.400 the three high level areas where you would find high 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:41.719 level of activity in scamming and fraud. 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:47.839 And then what these scams, what is the usual end results? 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:53.240 Are people being scammed for human trafficking purposes or are 0:04:53.279 --> 0:04:57.239 they being scammed out of money. I mean you'd imagine, okay, 0:04:57.240 --> 0:04:59.719 in the instance of a scholarship, maybe you're told to 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:04.120 pay a certain amount or what's the end what's the end? 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:07.200 Planning? The end game from these scammers usually. 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:13.800 Well, these are scanning activities increase in sophistication every day. 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:15.520 But what is I've seen on the ground. I say 0:05:15.839 --> 0:05:19.440 most cases, the end game is always financial game, So 0:05:19.520 --> 0:05:22.600 you would see people being scammed out of their money 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:26.559 in many cases. While we haven't really noticed or seen 0:05:26.640 --> 0:05:31.400 much human trafficate, this is a growing problem. And if 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:34.920 there is an opportunity to traffic young people or human 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:38.880 trafficking through education, I wouldn't say that it's something that 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:41.919 might not happen. But the majority of cases are people 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.080 that are being swindles off their finances and they're hired and. 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:48.839 Cash And what what the scanning? What what the scamming 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:49.839 look like to me? 0:05:50.400 --> 0:05:56.640 Would it be an ad and banking details with someone 0:05:56.720 --> 0:06:01.240 hoping that you know they might bite, debate, or would 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:03.599 it be an active person on the end of the 0:06:03.680 --> 0:06:07.240 line with a fake accent promising you the world. 0:06:08.720 --> 0:06:12.040 Yeah, it's a combination of those. But I'll quickly take 0:06:12.120 --> 0:06:14.839 you through five ways that we have seen this happen. 0:06:15.240 --> 0:06:18.560 The fact would be as scammers posing as represented for 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:21.680 foreign institutions. You would know that, you know, there are 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:26.840 certain bodies or safe parties that would represent global universities 0:06:26.960 --> 0:06:30.320 as recruits. So this is one way that you would 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:34.080 find that it happens. Really an impersonation of university if 0:06:34.080 --> 0:06:39.560 not immigration officials that would approach potential victims with offers 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:44.200 for them to get visas or to study within specific universities, 0:06:44.279 --> 0:06:47.920 usually a top notch, very popular ones both in Europe 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:50.599 as well as in the United States. Other ways that 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:54.080 this can happen with the fake scholarships offers again being 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:59.560 offered an opportunity to have your study funded overseas, others 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:03.880 called too good to be true, admission processes promises, and 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:07.520 those would usually be coming from your prestigious universities. And 0:07:07.800 --> 0:07:11.200 how you would typically notice this is that the requirement 0:07:11.320 --> 0:07:14.000 for entry would be very minimal, so again to God 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:16.840 to be true. And then there other ways that you 0:07:16.840 --> 0:07:21.680 would applic this up refutulant accommodation listenings where scammers would 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:25.720 pose state rental as for students are housing abroad and 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:29.400 collecting deposits you know for properties that donate and exist. 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:32.360 And thus the and increasing way that you're seeing, which 0:07:32.400 --> 0:07:37.280 is again increasingness of sophistication, will be social engineering where 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:41.440 your details are taken off social media platforms and then 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:45.240 the process would then use this information to convene to 0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:48.840 into paying for an opportunity that in most cases, I 0:07:48.840 --> 0:07:52.160 guess in all cases does not exist. So these are 0:07:52.200 --> 0:07:54.920 just some of the tactics that these scammers would be 0:07:55.080 --> 0:08:02.840 using to lure and suspecting victimising. 0:08:00.920 --> 0:08:04.600 A study of broad scams this evening on our education feature, 0:08:05.000 --> 0:08:08.800 why is it crucial to verify before you flying? My 0:08:08.880 --> 0:08:11.200 guest on the show this evening is do Mean Gorssy, 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:16.040 spokesperson for Rosebank College, and we're hearing from her around 0:08:16.320 --> 0:08:19.120 the trends in that space. I want to invite you 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.880 to join the conversation on zero double one double A 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:24.040 three oh seven o two. Are you a young person 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:28.520 or an old person looking to pursue education elsewhere in 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:32.920 the world. It sounds like an interesting and amazing opportunity 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:35.680 and you are fearing that it may be too good 0:08:35.720 --> 0:08:36.320 to be true. 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:38.800 Well, maybe it is, so get in touch with us. 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:40.880 Call us on zero double one double A three oh 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:42.839 seven O two. We want to hear from you, or 0:08:42.880 --> 0:08:45.800 if you've already been a victim of these scams, please 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:48.079 get in touch with us. If you have any questions 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:51.560 what do me around these scams? Please give us a 0:08:51.559 --> 0:08:54.080 call on zero double one double A three oh seven 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:56.000 O two. You can also send us what's up on 0:08:56.080 --> 0:09:00.560 zero seven two seven two one seven oh two do 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:04.160 me I want us to go into the intricacies of 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:09.200 some of these scams. Do we know from where the 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:13.920 scammers are usually running the scams from? Are these's generally 0:09:14.080 --> 0:09:19.200 locals or is it people abroad that are you know, 0:09:19.600 --> 0:09:23.200 abusing the system and maybe they've got contacts abroad, They've 0:09:23.200 --> 0:09:25.320 got a number abroad, and they've got something that looks 0:09:25.400 --> 0:09:29.080 really real, and that's why they can do people into 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:33.000 some sort of a you know, proving legitimacy. 0:09:34.800 --> 0:09:39.720 It's very DIFFICULTMOSO, when we are dealing with online activity 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:43.240 to be one hundred percent sure where these scammers might 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:46.240 be coming from. Farm might be coming from next door. 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:49.679 You never really know some are coming from internationally. What 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:53.360 we do know is that it is an activity that 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:59.120 is incredibly licreative. Again, the dollars in work of money 0:09:59.800 --> 0:10:04.280 or currency that you know, international organizations are mentioning. But 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:08.200 unless if you are really really well trained and sophisticated 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:12.199 investigators and specialize this vibra security, most of us will 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:15.240 probably never know where these cammas are coming from. And 0:10:15.280 --> 0:10:17.760 that's why it is so difficult then when you fall 0:10:17.840 --> 0:10:20.280 victim to try and get your money back, if you 0:10:20.320 --> 0:10:22.920 don't have certain systems in place that may allow you 0:10:23.000 --> 0:10:25.120 to be able to get your money back. So it 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:27.920 is typically what we have seen. It is cross border 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:31.880 activity and incredibly difficult to determine exactly where these gammras 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:34.440 will come from. So that's the first part. The second 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:37.840 part is that even if law enforcement is able to close, 0:10:38.320 --> 0:10:42.280 you know, these mushrooming networks as they come up, online 0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:45.719 activity is very easy to then replicate elsewhere and then 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:49.040 try and get loopholes. So it is incredibly difficult number 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:52.960 one to completely avoid it, and number two to determine 0:10:53.080 --> 0:10:56.520 where the people are placed. So that's the challenge really 0:10:56.559 --> 0:10:57.760 that you have on the table. 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:02.319 I want to go into the how do you know? 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:05.560 How do you know if you're being scammed? How do 0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:07.959 you know if you're being duped? How do you know that? 0:11:07.960 --> 0:11:10.760 That sounds like it's something too good to be true. 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:15.280 Well come also, I'll use my own example, because much 0:11:15.360 --> 0:11:18.080 of my thought that I'm quite smart, I nearly fell 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:21.960 into one of these scammed. In my case, I already 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:25.199 have you know, the qualifications that I mostly fought after. 0:11:25.280 --> 0:11:28.960 But I wanted to do an exegative development program that 0:11:29.160 --> 0:11:32.400 was offered internationally, and it had all the names of 0:11:32.920 --> 0:11:36.800 really higher level and popular business leaders of our time. 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:41.000 So I went onto this online scamming. Immediately, I thought, no, man, 0:11:41.840 --> 0:11:46.760 I've studied at some top universities, but these people don't 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:49.040 look like they're the type of people that would agree 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:51.080 to be in the same place at the same time 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:53.880 and only took for me in my case. And I'll 0:11:53.920 --> 0:11:55.840 go to other ways that you can tell. It's just 0:11:56.200 --> 0:11:59.120 to do a Google search and take the name of 0:11:59.160 --> 0:12:01.840 the program and the name of the institution that was 0:12:01.880 --> 0:12:04.800 sailing to run that program in that could commerce and 0:12:04.880 --> 0:12:09.520 do a simple Google search in quotation marks, and my goodness, 0:12:09.520 --> 0:12:13.080 that is where I saw comments upon comments of people 0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:16.280 complaining about how they would do them. These are executives 0:12:16.320 --> 0:12:19.640 that would typically be wanting to do such a program, 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:23.400 not even young people. But other ways that you can tell. 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:26.280 Besides it's being too good to be true. I would 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:29.839 say trust your instincts. Verifigh, I mean go through the 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:32.080 official channel. So so the first I would say, do 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:35.959 a Google fetch and look for reviews because now increasingly 0:12:36.000 --> 0:12:38.480 way out we've got many people that do reviews on 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:42.120 products and check to see if such an organization exists. 0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:45.000 Number two, do your research. I mean it's a Africa, 0:12:45.040 --> 0:12:48.560 We've got the Department of Higher Education and Training where 0:12:48.600 --> 0:12:53.000 you can go to check if local organizations are indeed registered, 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:55.680 but you can also get information as to how to 0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:59.800 check other departments in your country of where you think 0:12:59.840 --> 0:13:02.640 the place is and try to see if this institution 0:13:03.120 --> 0:13:07.000 is legitimate. And then number three, go and do don't 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:09.360 click on links where you get an email that's got 0:13:09.360 --> 0:13:12.000 a link and it's inviting you, do not click on 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:14.800 any links. Rather look at key information, the name of 0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:17.520 the institution, even the name of the person that has 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:19.880 sent you this email, and go and do a Google 0:13:19.920 --> 0:13:24.200 search and do research before you click on anything. Another 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:27.400 way that we found to be incredibly supportive and of 0:13:27.520 --> 0:13:30.800 high confidence is just to go to your higher education 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:34.760 institution if you're looking at post graduate studies or if 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:37.000 you are at high school. If you can approach your 0:13:37.080 --> 0:13:39.800 career guidance and ask them if they might be able 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:42.240 to help you with doing a sage. But if you're 0:13:42.240 --> 0:13:45.079 in higher education, I would suggest that you would approach 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:51.280 your international or internationalization office, which are at most universitus 0:13:51.360 --> 0:13:53.720 you would have such an office, and they too would 0:13:53.760 --> 0:13:58.360 be able to help determine an opportunity might be a 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:02.199 scam or not. But most portunately, if there is urgency 0:14:02.440 --> 0:14:05.800 where the person is asking you to pay is at 0:14:05.800 --> 0:14:09.199 front or they are using agent pactics to say something 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:11.760 along the lines of do this within the next twenty 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:13.880 four hours out the while you would lose your place, 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:18.280 be very careful of those. Usually universities do not operate 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:24.600 like that. And then secondly, if they these requests are 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:28.840 also linked to threats. So maybe if you are an 0:14:28.880 --> 0:14:32.080 international student in South Africa and you are being threatened 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:35.040 with your immigrating, with your with your status you revoked, 0:14:35.480 --> 0:14:37.800 then those things also are things that you should look 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:40.200 out for. So if it's too good to be true, 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:42.880 if they are threads and they're scared, and if there 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:45.400 are promises that are or threats, that you might lose 0:14:45.440 --> 0:14:48.120 your position if you don't as quickly, I would say, 0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:51.280 rather stop, check and verify before you proceed. 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:56.240 That's so important. I mean, yeah, I suppose many, many many. 0:14:56.960 --> 0:14:59.120 It's easy to fall for this and and I think 0:14:59.120 --> 0:15:02.240 it's funny that you say a simple Google search should 0:15:02.360 --> 0:15:05.000 should give you the answer. And you'd imagine that people 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:07.960 that are pursuing postgraduate studies would know how to do 0:15:08.000 --> 0:15:08.760 a Google search. 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:14.320 You would think so that sometimes these inpersonatils can be 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:17.520 incredibly convincing. I mean, they can send you an email 0:15:17.680 --> 0:15:20.520 and they would have the right extensions. The other thing 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:22.920 that you should be looking out for is that if 0:15:22.920 --> 0:15:27.160 the email has got domain for extensions like dot EGU 0:15:27.440 --> 0:15:31.040 for education or dot act UK, you should look out 0:15:31.040 --> 0:15:33.640 for that. But even that doesn't say guide you. So 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:37.560 again it's incredibly sophisticated. Rather be say some sort you 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:41.480 don't click on links, verify, check, double check, and if 0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:44.200 it's too good to be through your scared, your under pressure, 0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:48.560 rather stock and check yourself before your check. I carn't 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:52.680 get checked by illegal people. So that's basically you know 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:54.600 some of the ways that you can save guards. 0:15:55.280 --> 0:15:58.720 I hear you're you're insisting on the don't click on links. 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:02.240 Why is this for the potential of hiking. 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:06.440 Oh absolutely. I mean, for example, these days, if you 0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:12.360 go into your email, you can copy a link from 0:16:12.400 --> 0:16:16.560 an illegitimate source and then change the caption of that link, 0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:18.600 so you would have a link that is coming from, 0:16:19.240 --> 0:16:22.400 you know, a Gmail address, and you can make it 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:24.480 look like if just a link that's coming from a 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:28.920 dot C or AC dot UK or dot AC dott 0:16:28.960 --> 0:16:35.360 a extension. So if you have or if you don't 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:37.600 without clicking, So if you take your mouth and you 0:16:37.760 --> 0:16:40.360 just half I don't click on it, it will reveal 0:16:40.840 --> 0:16:43.480 what the actual link is. But say you don't know 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:45.400 that horror one can to do this. When you click 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:48.200 on it, you think you're clicking on a specific email 0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:52.000 address or you're going to a specific website, whereas in 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:55.080 the background it's taking you to a completely different website. 0:16:55.240 --> 0:16:57.440 And let's be honest, after you're clicking on a link, 0:16:57.600 --> 0:16:59.600 how many of us actually go to the top of 0:16:59.640 --> 0:17:02.040 the blog? But to speak, no one, what we clicked 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:05.960 on is actually where we've gone, So do not click 0:17:06.000 --> 0:17:09.280 on links. It also opens you up to activity and 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:12.200 things that might download on your machine and keep writing 0:17:12.280 --> 0:17:14.480 in the background, So it's very dangerous. 0:17:14.640 --> 0:17:18.640 Yeah, oh we're speaking a steady abroad scams right here 0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:21.440 on the Obrimasanga show. My name is Commenso with DS. 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:24.080 I'm in for brah Obs this evening and this is 0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:27.800 seven o two. I want to hear from our callers 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:31.919 and from anyone who's listening who may have almost fallen 0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:36.520 a victim to these scams. And do you ever put 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:40.040 in as much thought into this as as as you should? 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:44.639 You know, on my experience, I follow a couple of 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:50.080 these pages on Facebook and I follow them also on LinkedIn, 0:17:50.680 --> 0:17:52.040 and you know, just so that I can get an 0:17:52.040 --> 0:17:54.920 alert from time to time if there's an interesting program 0:17:55.119 --> 0:17:59.680 or something to do. And I've only realized recently that 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:02.480 a number of the ones that are on Facebook that 0:18:02.520 --> 0:18:05.359 I have been following that seem to be on a 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:08.960 poster or seem a little dodgy. Something in me said 0:18:09.080 --> 0:18:12.840 open the comments. And when I opened the comments, people 0:18:12.960 --> 0:18:16.080 in there were saying, this is dodgy, this is not true, 0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:19.679 this is fake. And I'm realizing that I would not 0:18:19.760 --> 0:18:23.000 have known if I didn't open the comments. To me, 0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:26.920 the role of social media, I mean, is that where. 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:27.720 It all goes down. 0:18:27.720 --> 0:18:30.399 Because to me, the sense I'm getting is young people 0:18:31.119 --> 0:18:31.960 on social media. 0:18:32.320 --> 0:18:34.600 Young people are spending a lot of time on their phones. 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:37.680 It's the perfect place to get to them. 0:18:38.920 --> 0:18:42.679 Welcome. Mostly interesting that you're raised in social media because 0:18:42.760 --> 0:18:45.480 the case that I've mentioned were almost fell victims have 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:49.680 found that company on social media, and the moment I 0:18:49.760 --> 0:18:52.800 kicked on social media, I kept being fed to this ad. 0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:54.639 So for a long time I was seeing this ed 0:18:54.680 --> 0:18:59.080 and I've heard it was legitimate. Meanwhile it was SKM University. 0:18:59.359 --> 0:19:02.520 So social media is also a very spetile ground for 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:06.159 these scams to mushroom and to take different forms. And 0:19:06.240 --> 0:19:09.280 because you are usually relaxed when you go on social media. 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:11.880 You don't go on TikTok because you are you are 0:19:12.000 --> 0:19:14.000 you know, you've got your guid up. I mean, that's 0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:16.880 where you go to connect with people both locally and abroad, 0:19:17.160 --> 0:19:19.960 and of course gammers noted, so they want you when 0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:23.560 you are at your most vulnerable. So for me, unfortunately, 0:19:23.920 --> 0:19:26.480 that is where I was almost scammed into. It was 0:19:26.520 --> 0:19:31.160 one hundred and twenty five thousand brand program that that's 0:19:31.200 --> 0:19:34.000 the amount of money that was almost fistent from me. 0:19:34.480 --> 0:19:38.480 So incredibly, incredibly a good place for these scammers to 0:19:38.560 --> 0:19:42.480 be operating. So much as we like social media. Unfortunately, 0:19:42.520 --> 0:19:44.840 if you're going to be transacting, you need to be 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:47.679 a bit more careful and put your guid up instead 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:50.520 of being relaxed as you usually are when we are 0:19:50.520 --> 0:19:52.000 on social media. 0:19:52.119 --> 0:19:54.840 To me, I'm learning that these scams are so brazen 0:19:54.920 --> 0:19:58.800 that they go to the extent even of creating fake universities. 0:19:59.119 --> 0:20:01.359 I mean, I thought that you'd have a scam that 0:20:01.480 --> 0:20:05.080 says University of X, but it's a legitimate university, but 0:20:05.119 --> 0:20:08.440 the details are fake, or but I'm learning that they 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:11.760 even go to the point of creating fake universities that 0:20:11.760 --> 0:20:12.480 don't exist. 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:16.280 Oh yeah, I mean, how long does it take these 0:20:16.359 --> 0:20:19.240 days to create a website. I think ten years ago, 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:23.600 without showing my age, you could create a website within 0:20:23.640 --> 0:20:26.399 a couple of days. Then it was one or two days. 0:20:26.640 --> 0:20:30.240 But now with AI, you can actually recreate the same 0:20:30.440 --> 0:20:34.359 university page using AI. Obviously, if you don't see the 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:37.760 university page every day and you see the logo is there, 0:20:38.000 --> 0:20:40.080 then you would think that this is the university and 0:20:40.080 --> 0:20:43.000 the college that they're using. So these days with AI 0:20:43.160 --> 0:20:45.199 is very quick. You can have a website up and 0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:47.879 running in a matter of humanity. It's not ours because 0:20:47.920 --> 0:20:50.920 it is that easy, so they go as far as that, 0:20:51.119 --> 0:20:53.000 and that was the case with my case that I 0:20:53.080 --> 0:20:56.120 mentioned that it was a faith university that was created 0:20:56.280 --> 0:21:01.600 that minute. The real university and everything there look like 0:21:01.960 --> 0:21:06.000 the original website. But when you look at small things like, 0:21:06.080 --> 0:21:09.000 for example, if you've got Oxford University, then this one 0:21:09.040 --> 0:21:13.320 is that Oxford, you do ac that air or Oxford 0:21:13.440 --> 0:21:16.240 your ac dot org. So small things like that that 0:21:16.320 --> 0:21:19.280 you typically wouldn't be looking at, but it's very easy. 0:21:19.320 --> 0:21:21.840 They it's an end to end to process. They create 0:21:22.000 --> 0:21:25.280 the product that creates the university, and then obviously they 0:21:25.320 --> 0:21:28.639 create the payment mechanisms. We also are very good with 0:21:28.760 --> 0:21:31.840 digital marketing. So again, if you click on it one 0:21:31.840 --> 0:21:34.800 time in a social media pose, it will keep feeding 0:21:34.840 --> 0:21:38.720 you this ad. So then you get you get duped 0:21:38.760 --> 0:21:41.320 into thinking that if I've been seeing this air for 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:43.840 a year, it would mean that it is a legitulate 0:21:43.920 --> 0:21:47.320 university because it's been around for so long. Meanwhile, that 0:21:47.440 --> 0:21:50.040 get the violet. It's just a face university. 0:21:51.760 --> 0:21:56.280 And I mean, uh, are government officials and university officials 0:21:56.440 --> 0:21:58.520 some of the people involved in these scams. I mean, 0:21:58.560 --> 0:22:01.280 I'd imagine that it would be someone who knows the 0:22:01.359 --> 0:22:04.119 systems at the university knows some of the programs that 0:22:03.720 --> 0:22:06.360 are that are offered. Do we have evidence that it's 0:22:07.080 --> 0:22:09.359 sometimes officials who are in on it. 0:22:10.920 --> 0:22:15.080 Look where we have seen official activity, it's quite minimal. 0:22:15.840 --> 0:22:19.000 Hasn't worked within the academic space. I think that you 0:22:19.040 --> 0:22:21.440 will be hard trust to find people that are more 0:22:21.560 --> 0:22:24.600 proud of their hard work and heavy change than people 0:22:24.640 --> 0:22:27.240 that are academics, than people that have been working in 0:22:27.520 --> 0:22:30.919 academia for a long time. Where we've seen cases in 0:22:31.119 --> 0:22:34.680 you know, the last couple of years, is not even 0:22:34.720 --> 0:22:38.000 a scam, but it would be people selling university spaces, 0:22:38.040 --> 0:22:41.800 although locally it's not really an area where we've seen 0:22:41.840 --> 0:22:44.560