Warning about scholarship scams targeting international students.
In recent days, some students in Nghe An province have received acceptance letters for studying abroad. To gain the students' trust, the scammers used fake logos, seals, and signatures.
Vinh UniversityThe university has just issued a warning about scholarship scams targeting international students. Earlier this week, a first-year male student majoring in Automation and Control Engineering at the university received an email notification about a student exchange program between Vinh University and Yale University in the United States.
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This announcement states that, based on the US Embassy's notification regarding the US Government's awarding of scholarships to new students with good academic performance and good conduct at Vinh University, this student meets the eligibility requirements for enrollment.
To make an impression, the announcement also stated that the exchange program would be 100% funded by the US government, including round-trip international airfare, tuition, living expenses, and sightseeing fees throughout the duration of the program. The program would last 3 months, and all remaining costs would be covered by the school.
To participate in this program, students need to prepare a complete application and submit it to the University's External Relations Office. In addition, students must also provide a bank statement showing a minimum balance of 250 million VND in their bank account to create an electronic bank statement for competition with other students from different majors. The announcement also requests that students complete their application, sign the necessary documents, and submit the electronic bank statement to the Training Department of Vinh University before 2 PM on October 1st, 2025.
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Reportedly, after receiving this notification, the student forwarded it to his mother, who warned him that the information was fake. However, when the scammer called, the student still believed them and went to a hotel in Vinh City as instructed by the caller. While waiting, the student's family became suspicious and intervened in time, taking the student out of the hotel and subsequently reporting the incident to the school and the local police.
Later, when speaking with the school, the student also stated that, although they knew it was fake information, when they received the phone call, the caller said many things that made the listener blindly believe and follow the instructions.
Regarding this case, Mr. Nguyen Hong Soa, Head of the Student Affairs Department at Vinh University, stated: Recently, the university has received information that some students have received forged documents from Vinh University concerning student exchange programs and international scholarships. The scammers use fake logos, seals, and signatures to entice students to register, request applications, and pay fees, aiming to steal money and personal information. In some cases, students were scammed out of hundreds of millions of VND but were able to report it to the university in time and fortunately avoided becoming victims of the fraud.
The university representative also confirmed that, as of now, Vinh University does not have any scholarship programs for students as stated in the announcements. Any programs offered by the university (if any) are posted on the university's official websites. Therefore, students should absolutely not believe, transfer money to, or provide personal information through unofficial channels.
In addition, upon receiving suspicious information, it is necessary to immediately communicate with family members, faculty, relevant departments of the school, or report it to the nearest police station.
