Scam Alert: Tuition fees payment scam

Parents and carers of students enrolled through the Temporary Residents Program are advised of a new scam targeting tuition fee payments.

Please read the information below carefully and note the features of the scam and the precautions we recommend you take to avoid being scammed.

Please do not engage with any person (including those claiming to be ‘lawyers’) or any organisation claiming to contact you on behalf of the NSW Department of Education about tuition fees, as they are fraudulent.

Features of the scam

• A scammer posing as an 'immigration lawyer' claims to have been instructed by the NSW Department of Education to contact you about allegedly outstanding tuition fees.
• The scammer says that they are informing the Australian Government's Department of Home Affairs about allegedly outstanding tuition fees and that the student’s visa will only be issued after payment of the 'fees' occurs.
• The scammer then directs you to transfer the amount of the allegedly outstanding tuition fees to a bank account nominated by the scammer.

Recommended precautions

• Only pay tuition fees using the payment details on invoices received directly from the NSW Department of Education.
• Do not transfer money to individuals or bank accounts not listed on your invoice.
• For emails from the NSW Department of Education, check that the sender’s email address ends with “@det.nsw.edu.au” or “@dei.det.nsw.edu.au”.
• Beware of calls or emails from anyone claiming to be lawyers or intermediaries offering fee reductions or visa-related conditions.
• If you receive a suspicious payment request, please verify it with the NSW Department of Education’s Temporary Residents Program before taking any action.

Contact us

If you have any questions or concerns about this matter, please contact us via tempvisa@det.nsw.edu.au or call us on 1300 300 229 (Option 1) if you are in Australia, or +61 9244 5555 (Option 1) if you are outside Australia.