Fake Scholarships and Scams: Recognising Fraudulent Offers
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Every year, students lose money or personal data by responding to fake scholarship offers. Scammers exploit urgency, hope and unfamiliarity with procedures. The good news: a few simple reflexes make it possible to spot them.
The warning signs
- You are asked to pay to obtain the scholarship: reputable organisations charge neither for the application nor for "award fees".
- The scholarship is guaranteed: no serious programme promises certain success without selection.
- You never applied: a message announcing that you have "won" a scholarship for a competition you did not enter is fraudulent.
- Pressure and urgency: "reply within 24 hours or the place is lost".
- Suspicious contact details: a free e-mail address (Gmail, Yahoo) in the name of a major institution, spelling mistakes, a distorted logo.
- A request for banking information or identity scans by private message.
The checks to make
- Find the offer on the organisation's official website, typed by hand into the browser rather than reached through a link you received.
- Check the domain name: public institutions and universities have recognisable domains (.gov, .edu, .ac, .gouv).
- Compare dates, conditions and procedures with another official source.
- Look for verifiable testimonials from former scholarship holders.
- Contact the organisation using the details published on its website, not those in the message you received.
Agents and intermediaries
Some agents offer to "secure" your enrolment or your scholarship for a fee. A legitimate agent works for partner universities, displays its rates and does not promise results. No application to an official scholarship requires a paid intermediary: you always submit your file directly to the organisation. This is the principle of MaBourse.ma: we point to the official page, with no commission and no intermediary.
Protecting your data
- Never send your passport, banking codes or passwords by message.
- Use a unique password for each application portal.
- Check that the site uses HTTPS and that the address is exact.
What to do if you have been caught out
Stop all contact, keep the evidence (messages, receipts), change your passwords, report the fraud to the platform concerned and to the competent authorities. You can also report a suspicious site or offer to us through the reporting page: we review it quickly.