Unisa Bursaries Anti-fraud

Fraud Awareness: Stay alert against student funding scams

As a student in South Africa, securing financial aid is crucial for your academic journey. Unfortunately, fraudsters often target students seeking funding. Here's how to recognise and protect yourself from common scams :

Common student funding scams:

• Fake bursary or scholarship offers asking for upfront 'processing' fees
• Emails or messages requesting your bank PIN, passwords or OTPs
• Fraudsters posing as officials from the university or funding bodies
• Offers to 'speed up' your funding approval, for a price

How to protect yourself:

• Never share your login details, OTPs or banking information
• Verify bursary/funding opportunities through official university, donor or government websites
• Ignore and report suspicious calls, SMSs or emails
• Keep documents safe – don’t hand out copies unnecessarily

Report fraud immediately

Unisa whistleblower hotline:
Free call telephone: 0800 075 278

Remember, legitimate student funding applications are free. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Stay alert. Stay safe. Protect your future.