On the 22nd August 2025, Police Scotland's North East Crime Reduction Team provided the following crime alert:
"A new student from China, recently settled in Aberdeen, has been the target of a high-value fraud. The student received a telephone call from fraudsters impersonating the Shanghai Customs Authority and implicated her in a credit card fraud. The suspects threatened to cancel her visa and requested the student pay £38,000 as a ‘bail.’ When further money was requested the student became suspicious and contacted Police."
Local and International Students: If anyone contacts you asking for money – no matter who they say they are – do not transfer money, and contact Police Scotland immediately.
To learn more about cybercrime and how to stay safe online, please see NESCol's 'Digital Safety and Online Harm' section, on this Report + Support website.