Thomas Heaton reports for Oxford University’s The Oxford Student on warnings from the SLC that students could be sharing information online which could expose them to fraud:

Freshers are being a warned that the amount of information they share online could lead to them becoming victims of fraud. An online survey by the Student Loan Company (SLC) has revealed that more than half of incoming students will invite new people they meet to become friends on Facebook, with two thirds of those publishing details online that could be used by criminals.

Over 70% of respondents indicated they would publish their date of birth online, with others happy to publish their phone number or relationship status online. This is despite 49% of respondents admitting they had not met all their Facebook friends in person.

A further two in five were willing to share their email address, leaving them vulnerable to online ‘Phishing’ scams. That is, the practice of sending emails asking for personal information by pretending  to be from a company or bank, with the aim of obtaining credit card or bank details.

Males were shown to be more vulnerable to student finance fraud than females, as they were more likely to allow anyone to access their profile and make their personal details public.

Full article here.