University of Dundee students have been targeted by scammers.
An email has been circulated around students claiming to be from the university.
It informs people that they have been awarded a student and research educational grant by the Department of Education.
Students were told that the grant was based on financial and academic factors, with recipients of the mail encouraged to submit their details to be processed.
The sender fraudulently claimed to be from the university’s finance department, with a message stating: “As it is our interest to ensure that you are funded hassle-free, please submit your details via the link below as soon as possible.”
It is still unknown how many students received the communication.
Tim Hustler, president of the Dundee University Students Union, said the union has taken action to inform students about the email.
So far, only one student has fallen victim to the scam, with Mr Hustler adding: “We have got a student rep group and it was posted in there by a representative. We immediately got in touch with IT and put the message out that it was a scam.
“We have heard that one person fell victim to it but they haven’t been in touch for support.”
Mr Hustler said that people should always check the authenticity of emails, with the layout of the message an indicator of whether it was legitimate.
He added: “I always tell people that they should check the email for spelling mistakes and poor English.
“This email was worded well but when you look at it the format doesn’t match university communications.
“I think that people just need to be really careful with the emails they receive. The university would never ask for your personal details — if you get an email doing so, don’t open it. If you aren’t expecting something and it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.”
In the aftermath of the scam, the university warned students that the email account was not one belonging to the university.
A spokesman for the University of Dundee said that after being alerted to the scam, various messages on social media were sent out reminding staff and students to be aware of phishing scams and suspicious emails.