Protecting Students from Cyber Crime and Fraud: The University Student Guide
As thousands of students prepare to start or return to university this autumn, fraudsters and cyber criminals will be looking for opportunities to exploit the excitement and uncertainty that often comes with a new term.
Moving to a new city, arranging accommodation, managing finances and building new social networks can create opportunities for criminals to target students. Whether you're a student, parent, guardian, friend or family member, understanding the risks can help prevent cyber crime and fraud.
Criminals use a wide range of tactics to steal your money or obtain personal information that can be used later in a fraud attempt. They operate on websites and apps, by email, text, phone, post or in person, including on your doorstep.
Students are also frequently targeted through phishing emails, text messages and social media messages. These communications may appear to come from trusted organisations such as universities, banks, delivery companies or student finance providers. Their aim is to steal personal information, passwords or banking details.
What can you do to protect yourself from cyber crime and fraud? These simple steps can make a big difference:
- Be cautious of unexpected messages asking for personal or financial information.
- Secure your accounts, especially your email and bank account.
- Use passkeys over passwords wherever they are available. Where unavailable, use strong passwords, for example generated by a password manager, and enable 2-step verification (2SV).
- Keep devices updated with the latest security and software updates.
- Back up your important data and check your account recovery options.
Cyber crime and fraud can affect anyone, but awareness remains one of the strongest forms of protection. By recognising common tactics and talking openly about potential risks, we can help students enjoy a safe and successful university experience.
To support students and their families, Report Fraud has produced a practical guide packed with advice, real-world examples and simple steps that students can take to protect themselves online and offline throughout university life.
Read the University Students Booklet here.
More News From Amber Valley Info
| Derby College Group students go yellow for youth mental health Students at Derby College Group's Joseph Wright Centre shared more than 80 messages of hope and encouragement as they read more | |
| Amber Valley Borough Council urges local residents to fight fly-tipping this October Amber Valley Borough Council is teaming up with Keep Britain Tidy for Fight Fly-Tipping Fortnigh read more | |
| Building fire on Chapel Street, Kilburn - Fire Investigation Outcome A joint fire and police investigation has been unable to determine the cause of a fire at a church on Chapel Str read more | |
| Flagship Creative Program Celebrates Landmark Second Year And Continues To Transform Communities Derbyshire Makes has cemented its place as one of the UK's most ambitious county-wid read more | |
| Communities Invited to Light Up the Derwent Valley with Living Advent Calendars 2026 Residents, community groups, shops and businesses across Darley Abbey, Belper and Cromford are b read more | |
The Amber Valley Info Noticeboard
| Pottery Close Halloween Event Taking a Break This Year The popular Halloween event at Pottery Close will not take place this year, as the organisers have not had enough time to prep read more | |
| Food waste recycling is coming to Amber Valley From June 2026, Amber Valley Borough Council will introduce weekly food waste recycling across the borough as part of a phased roll-ou read more | |
| Stallholder Bookings Now Open For The Tansley Big Day Out We're excited to announce that Tansley's Big Day Out 2026 will take place on 6th & 7th June 2026! read more | |
| Christmas and New Year bin collection dates Over the festive season, bin collections will operate on revised schedules. Some collections may take place up to two days earlier than u read more | |
| Launch Of WOMBLE MANIA! At the Heights of Abraham, Opened by Marcus Robertson, Son of Wombles author, Elisabeth Beresford, officially launched WOMBLE MANIA! at the Heights of Abraha read more | |
