On Friday 26 August, all ANU students received an ominous email from the Student List Coordinator titled “Financial Scam Targeting International Students.” According to the ANU, the scam involves individuals posing as Government officials threatening international students with deportation or imprisonment for failing to comply.

A spokesperson from the ANU has told Woroni that the University is working with authorities from the Australian Federal Police and ACT Policing to protect students. 

While the ANU and authorities attempt to solve the issue, there are measures each student can take to protect themselves and others.

Mandarin translation below.

What Can I Do to Protect Myself?

There are a number of ways students can be vigilant of, and avoid, this style of scam: 

• Scamwatch has posted a list of useful tips to protect yourself from these scams. Start by familiarising yourself with these.

• Do not send them any money or provide your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone.
• Australian Government officials will never ask you to share your personal details or transfer money over the phone, or advise you not to contact anyone.

• Be aware of your rights: All international students have rights as part of their student visa. They should not hesitate in notifying ANU or the authorities about this scam. Being targeted by scammers will not affect their status as a student or their study rights in Australia.
• Spread the message to your peers so we can all stay safe.

What can I do if I believe I have been targeted by this scam?

There are a number of support services available to students if they, or someone they know, have been targeted by a scam:

• You can contact the ANU Student Safety and Wellbeing Team for Support on 6125 2211 or student.wellbeing@anu.edu.au. This team can provide support for communicating with police, and provide broader wellbeing support and care. 
• Immediately contact the Australian Federal Police on 131 444. You can also either make a report at the police station in person or submit a report online.
• Report the scam to ScamWatch. 

What else is there to know?

If you require additional information, you can read the ANU’s full media release on the matter here.

针对国际学生的金融诈骗：你能做什么？

本周五（8 月 26 日）， SLC（Student List Coordinator）向所有ANU （Australian National University）的学生发送了一封名为“针对国际学生的金融诈骗”的电子邮件。 ANU指出，该骗局涉及个人冒充政府官员，威胁国际学生称“其因不遵守规定即将被驱逐出境或监禁”。 

ANU的一位发言人告诉Woroni，ANU正在与澳大利亚联邦警察局和首都领地警察局合作保护学生的人身及财产安全。

学生可以相信，ANU正在尽最大努力解决这个问题。同时，每个学生都可以采取一些措施来保护自己和他人。

我能做些什么来保护自己？

学生要保持警惕。虽然我们正在努力解决这个问题，但学生可以采取以下措施来规避诈骗与损失。

•   Scamwatch 发布了一系列有用的提示 ，您可以了解并熟悉这些方法，以保护自己免受骗局的侵害。
•   不要给陌生人汇款；不要在电话中提供您的个人、信用卡或在线帐户信息。
•   了解自己的权利：
  • 澳大利亚政府官员绝不会要求您分享您的个人信息或通过电话转账，或建议您不要联系任何人。
  • 作为学生签证的一部分，所有国际学生都享有相应权利。您可以立即向 ANU 或当局政府举报此骗局。
  • 成为诈骗者的目标不会影响您的学生身份或您在澳大利亚的学习权利。
• 您可以将本文及相关信息转发给身边的朋友，促进共同安全。

如果我认为自己已成为此骗局的目标，我该怎么办？

如果您或您身边的人成为诈骗目标，可以从以下渠道获得支持与帮助：

•   您可以拨打电话 6125 2211 或发送电子邮件至student.wellbeing@anu.edu.au联系ANU学生安全与健康团队（Student Safety and Wellbeing Team）。 该团队可以帮助学生与警方沟通，并提供更广泛的健康发展支持。
•    立即致电 131 444 联系澳大利亚联邦警察。您也可以亲自到警察局报案或在线提交报案。
•   向ScamWatch举报骗局。

其他

如果您需要更多信息，可以点击此处阅读关于此事的完整新闻稿。