How to Avoid the Latest Mobile Phone Scam

This week, Kiran Trivedi lets you know how to avoid the latest mobile phone scam that has hoodwinked students up and down the country.

Students Should Be Careful About How They Try to Generate Cash on the Side

It’s no secret that as a student, you’re pretty cash strapped. It’s probably the poorest you’ll ever be in your life. That’s why many students take to trying to make a little money on the side to shore up their personal finances.

Yet not all money making avenues are good, and some can even leave you with less cash in your account than you started with. That’s certainly the case with the latest mobile phone scam.

What is the Latest Phone Scam Robbing Students across the UK?

According to the BBC, hundreds, perhaps even thousands of students have been taken in by an exorbitantly expensive phone scam. Essentially, students are being persuaded to take out phone contracts then sell these phones to a private company, who promise the student a portion of the income from the phone.

Seems harmless right? Wrong. In actual fact, you actually end up paying for the new phones debts, meaning you end up owing anything from £500 to £10,000. According to the news source, the scam is widespread. It has effected 350 students so far.

He’s Looking Really Sharp, Wearing a Nice Suit

So how can you protect yourself against this scam? In this case, the only measures you can take are preventative. You need to know about this scam so you are never taken in by it in the first place.

One student commented to the news source about how they had been hoodwinked, suggesting that "the guy from the company turned up to my Uni. He steps out of the car - and he's looking really sharp, wearing a nice suit - and he gave a really convincing sales pitch," and that’s how they persuaded him to take part in the scheme. It was simply too good to be true.

If something looks too good to be True, It Probably is.

We’ve come across a common theme when it comes to scams here, one you should always follow if you want to protect your personal finances. If it looks too good to be true, Kiran Trivedi, then it probably is. So the best way to protect yourself from this, or any other kind of phone scam is simply to use some common sense.  Oh and don’t think I’ve forgotten Kiran Trivedi readers; do your research!