Trending Scholarship Scams in Ghana: Save yourself and others now

Ghanaians are been bombarded with scholarship scams on social media and many who are ignorant of the scam behind the adverts are clicking the attached URL without caution.

The scholarship scam is posted by suspected scammers and ignorant social media users who forward the scam onto platforms and put other ignorant users in harm’s way.

The said fake Scholarship posts come with a malicious URL attached.  The URL is shortened followed by bit. ly followed by a Country name, Scholarship, and 2021.

Examples are provided below in picture form to ensure we do not put our readers in harm’s way. 

PICTURE1: These URLs are the most trending now. Watch out for these scholarship scams and should the name of the country or year change, we expect you to detect that it is a scam. A genuine URL should show the website that you will be directed to. These do not show it. They are

Some of these URLs are emails to you. If you did not apply for any scholarships to be sent to your email, then be very careful with such emails and their contents.

These are the format of the Scholarship scams being shared on WhatsApp in Ghana.

.

By simply clicking this malicious URL, or opening an attachment out of curiosity can lead to serious problems. Once you click on any of the fake URLs, you would become a target of a phishing attack or malware may be automatically installed onto your device. If care is not taken, there may be more serious negative effects and acts targeted at you because you clicked the said URL.

Whiles the Ghanaian youth and scholarship-conscious people seek scholarship opportunities, they must only click links that are genuine or go to websites that provide valid URLs. Look out for genuinely publish and 100% correct scholarship opportunities on sites like Ghanaeducation.org

Such website links must not be shortened like the above. 

Genuine websites do not hide the actual URL by using URL shortening websites. 

A typical fake unedited Scholarship Scams in Ghana advertisement comes with the following words or ones that are similar to it.

APPLICATION FOR THE SWEEDEN 2021 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM IS OUT.

Study in any Sweedish University of your choice at no cost for international students.

Benefit of Sweeden 2021 Scholarship Programme.

The scholarship will cover

-Full Tuition Fee

-Living Allowance

-Accommodation

-Medical Facilities

-Traveling Allowance

-Stationery Allowance.

APPLY HERE

 

 

The above are the exact words of the current scams making rounds on social media.

Do not be a victim, don’t click the URL. 

What is a Malicious URL?

These are clickable links that once you access you are redirected to a fraudulent webpage. There is nothing good about a malicious or fake website link because the reason why the owners created it is to engage in unethical practices on the web and for nefarious purposes. 

They can steal your personal data, steal your money, engage in cybercriminal activities, etc.

Just by clicking on the URL they share, they can 

1. Identity theft or other types of fraudulent acts can be carried out because they would have had access to your personal information which they can use to carry out identity theft or other types of fraud.

2. Have access to your personal or professional accounts and spy on you from the device you used to access the malicious URL. 

3. They can access your computer or device and initiate a ransomware attack by encrypting their files and folders on your computer. Once they achieve this, you cannot open any of the files on your device or computer. They send you a message asking for you to pay a ransom before you can access your valuable information. If you cannot pay, you lose everything. 

Final Thoughts on Malicious URLs and How to Stay Safe

There are genuine scholarships out there, there are safe websites out there, but criminals are also out there on the internet seeking vulnerable persons. You click the fake URL or malicious website to their advantage. Some of them even send you emails, drop them in your WhatsApp DM, and are using many methods to outsmart the public. 

READ: Why WASSCE and BECE 2021 candidates must pass their examinations

They are planning new ways to catch you unaware, be vigilant, and do not click fake URLs, they will only scam you or extract valuable data from you for their bad acts. To ensure you are not a victim of the Scholarship Scams in Ghana, do not click such links and share this post with loved ones. 

SOURCE: Ghana24.org–Copyright |Wisdom Hammond -Leadership expert| Republishing this content anywhere without prior permission is a Copyright VIOLATION

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