UndergradSkiller: Skill Set Map for Undergraduates and Their Educators

INFORMATION LITERACY AND DIGITAL SAFETY: Online Safety

Avoiding Scams and Fraud

Students, particularly international students, can be targets for scams ranging from phishing emails and fake scholarships to accommodation fraud and identity theft. Recognizing common tactics is the first step in avoiding them.:

University of Hertfordshire & Convera. (2023). A student guide to fraud prevention. MIT OpenCourseWare. https://www.herts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/376976/Student-Guide-to-Fraud-Prevention.pdf

Annotation: Guide covering common types of fraud and scams targeting students, including payment scams, phishing, and card payment fraud. Includes practical advice for protecting oneself.

Studee. (n.d.). The ultimate guide to international student scams (and how to avoid them). https://studee.com/discover/the-ultimate-guide-to-international-student-scams

Annotation: Article describing common scams targeting international students, including visa phone scams, accommodation fraud, fake scholarships, virtual kidnapping, and money mule recruitment. Includes tips for identifying and avoiding scams.

Ramsey, T. (2025, December 19). I’m a scams expert and these are the scams that will be big in 2026. Which? https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/im-a-scams-expert-and-these-are-the-scams-that-will-be-big-in-2026-aT2MR9t7Dev9

Annotation: Article identifying emerging scam trends for 2026, including long-winded job scams, AI-generated deepfake influencers, spear-phishing using data from breaches, voice cloning, and fraudulent age verification schemes. Includes practical tips for recognizing and avoiding scams.

Peer Review: None

Table of contents:

2.1. Contextualizing Information Literacy

2.2. Using Library Resources
2.2.1. Finding and Accessing Resources
2.2.2. Research Guides and Tutorials

2.3. Source Evaluation

2.4. News and Media Literacy
2.4.1. Media Literacy
2.4.2. Misinformation and Fact-Checking

2.5. Artificial Intelligence
2.5.1. Understanding AI
2.5.2. Evaluating AI
2.5.3. AI Terminology
2.5.4. AI Ethics

2.6. Online Safety

2.6.1. Avoiding Scams and Fraud

2.6.2. Data Privacy and Protection
2.6.2.1. Understanding Data Privacy
2.6.2.2. General Data Protection Regulation
2.6.3. Information Security
2.6.4. Digital Safety
2.6.4.1. Understanding Online Harms
2.6.4.2. Protecting Yourself Online
2.6.5. Cyberbullying
2.6.6. Ethical Social Media

2.7. Copyright

 

Author: Leeanne Irwin

Peer Reviewer(s): None