What are the red flags of this scam?

Someone — in a student Facebook group, WhatsApp chat, or through word of mouth — offers to pay your tuition for less than face value (e.g., $10,000 tuition for $8,000 cash to them) • They claim to have a 'method,' 'connection,' or 'portal' that allows them to reduce your tuition fee — this does not exist • They ask for payment by cash, Interac e-Transfer, or cryptocurrency before showing proof the school has received the payment • The tuition payment shows on your student portal, then disappears weeks later as a reversal or chargeback • Your account goes to collections or your enrollment is put on hold without warning

What should I do if this happened to me?

Pay tuition only through your school's official student portal using your own payment method — never through a third party • Never pay someone in advance to 'process' your tuition at a lower rate — no such service exists at any accredited Canadian institution • If you already paid someone: report to your local police immediately, and contact your school's financial office to explain the situation before the chargeback occurs • If you are a credit card holder who sees fraudulent tuition charges: dispute with your bank and report to police — you are a victim, not the payer • Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.

HIGH other Last reported: Sep 14, 2026 Share

Someone offers to pay your university tuition at a discount — they use stolen credit cards and your tuition is reversed

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. A contact offers to process your university tuition payment at a steep discount. You pay them cash or e-Transfer; they pay the school with stolen credit cards. Weeks later the school reverses the payment — you still owe full tuition and your upfront payment is gone. Losses exceed $125,000 across 23+ reported victims.

A contact offers to process your university tuition payment at a steep discount. You pay them cash or e-Transfer; they pay the school with stolen credit cards. Weeks later the school reverses the payment — you still owe full tuition and your upfront payment is gone. Losses exceed $125,000 across 23+ reported victims.

Also known as: tuition discount scam Canada, fake tuition payment service Canada, student tuition fraud international students, pay my tuition cheaper scam, UCW tuition payment scam

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 Pay tuition only through your school's official student portal using your own payment method — never through a third party
2 Never pay someone in advance to 'process' your tuition at a lower rate — no such service exists at any accredited Canadian institution
3 If you already paid someone: report to your local police immediately, and contact your school's financial office to explain the situation before the chargeback occurs
4 If you are a credit card holder who sees fraudulent tuition charges: dispute with your bank and report to police — you are a victim, not the payer
5 Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.

Red flags

⚠ Someone — in a student Facebook group, WhatsApp chat, or through word of mouth — offers to pay your tuition for less than face value (e.g., $10,000 tuition for $8,000 cash to them)
⚠ They claim to have a 'method,' 'connection,' or 'portal' that allows them to reduce your tuition fee — this does not exist
⚠ They ask for payment by cash, Interac e-Transfer, or cryptocurrency before showing proof the school has received the payment
⚠ The tuition payment shows on your student portal, then disappears weeks later as a reversal or chargeback
⚠ Your account goes to collections or your enrollment is put on hold without warning

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Sources