Scammers have tried to evade the law by attempting to trap individuals applying for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme funding for the 2024 academic year.
In a recently held media briefing, Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande announced that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s (Nsfas) funding application window for the 2024 academic year opened on 28 September 2024.
Nzimande has also shared that the Nsfas application’s system has been improved and made easier for applicants. However, a scam has surfaced luring public Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College to provide their personal details under false pretenses.
In a statement, the government bursary has urged students:
Do not click on any link asking you to recreate your myNSFAS account and remember to never share your personal details with anyone.
This fake post has used what seems to be the legit Nsfas website. It is said that this link will redirect the applicants to the scammer’s website which will ask for the applicant’s ID number.
According to TransUnion, with your ID number, someone can easily open store accounts and agree to significant debt in your name.
This fake post has taken advantage of the fact that Nsfas has recently made changes to its system, urging applicants to recreate their MyNsfas account portal, and pointing out that this new system requires applicants to no longer use the old logins.
This means that scammers are on alert for current news and use that information to devise a plan to trick individuals into giving out their personal details.
Students have also been advised to follow communication that is published or posted on Nsfas’ official communication platforms for factual updates regarding funding applications and so much more.
