What are the warning signs?
Short answer
Cash requests, OTP requests, a look-alike name, a guaranteed seat where a rule requires an exam, and refusal to put the total fee in writing.
Almost all losses come from a short list, and none of them are sophisticated. They rely on urgency and on your not asking one more question.
Any two of these together should stop the process entirely.
What to check
- Never pay under time pressure. A genuine deadline survives a day’s checking.
- Verify the institution’s website by searching for it yourself, not from a link you were sent.