Admission season is when families are most anxious and most willing to listen to anyone who sounds confident. That is exactly why fraudsters appear. They promise seats, copy official websites and send urgent messages. This guide lists the most common traps so you can recognise them before money changes hands.
The golden rule
Seats in counselling are allotted by rank, category and choice, using official portals. No agent, consultant or website can guarantee a seat in an official counselling process. Anyone who says they can is lying or planning something illegal. Hold on to that rule and you will avoid most problems.
Common scams
Guaranteed seat for a fee. A caller or an agent says they have contacts and can secure a seat in a top college for a large sum. They may show fake letters. Once you pay, they disappear, or ask for more.
Fake counselling and admission websites. Copycat sites look like official portals, with similar logos and web addresses. They collect registration fees and personal data. Always reach the official portal from the official body’s own website, and read the address carefully.
Fake scholarship offers. Messages say you have been selected for a scholarship and must pay a processing fee or share a bank OTP to receive it. Genuine government scholarships do not charge you to receive money, and no genuine scheme will ask for an OTP.
Donation and capitation demands. Some institutions or middlemen ask for payment beyond the official fee for a seat. Treat any demand outside the published fee structure with great caution, and check the rules of the approving authority.
Fake loan agents. People promise guaranteed approval for an education loan in return for an upfront fee. Banks do not charge fees to guarantee approval, and the proper fees are stated in the bank’s own documents.
Unrecognised institutions and courses. An institute advertises a degree that the relevant authority does not recognise. You complete the course and find the degree is not valid for jobs or higher studies.
Refund traps. Colleges or agents take large payments with no written refund policy. When you try to leave, you are told nothing is refundable.
Coaching and guidance promises. Advertisements promise ranks or results. No one can promise a result.
A verification checklist
Before you pay anyone, go through these questions:
- Did I reach this website from the official body’s own site, and is the address exactly right?
- Is the fee listed in an official notice or fee structure that I can read?
- Is the college and the course approved by the proper authority, and can I find it listed on that authority’s website?
- Do I have the payment terms and refund rules in writing?
- Am I paying into the institution’s official account, not a personal account or a wallet?
- Is someone rushing me, saying the offer ends today?
- Have I asked a parent, teacher or trusted adult to look at it?
If any answer is no or unclear, stop and check.
How to pay safely
Pay fees only through the official portal or by a bank transfer into the institution’s account shown in its official notice. Keep a receipt for every payment. Avoid cash. Never share OTPs, card PINs or passwords with anyone, including people who claim to be from a bank or an exam body.
Be careful with your data
Scammers use your phone number and email to reach you. Share your details only with sites you trust. CollegeDex stores what you enter on your own device, and does not collect it. If a site asks for more than it needs, ask why.
If you have been cheated
- Stop sending money.
- Keep screenshots, messages, receipts and numbers.
- If you paid by card or bank transfer, tell your bank immediately and ask it to try to block or reverse the transaction.
- Report it on the national cybercrime reporting portal, and to the local police if money was lost.
- Inform the counselling authority or institution concerned.
The sooner you act, the better the chance of recovering money.
Tell others
Frauds spread because families do not talk about them. If you see a fake site or a suspicious offer, tell your school and your friends. You can also use our report page to tell us about incorrect data on CollegeDex.
This guide is for general awareness and is not legal advice.