Tuition payment scams: fake portals, agents and wire fraud

What do tuition scams look like?

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) describes calls where fraudsters claim to be from IRCC and demand fees, and automated calls aimed at Asian communities that claim to be from the Beijing police, INTERPOL or the Chinese consulate.

A real case: the 2026 CBSA charges

On July 7, 2026, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced charges against two people in Ontario. It alleged that they took money from international students by falsely promising to pay their tuition. One person was charged in June 2026; the other is wanted on an arrest warrant. The students received fake enrolment documents and were never enrolled. The CBSA estimated the loss at about $126,000. The case began with a tip from Lambton College in February 2025. The charges have not been proven in court.

Earlier, in 2023, a joint IRCC and CBSA task force reviewed cases of students whose study permits were based on fake letters of acceptance from unauthorized consultants. IRCC then moved to have schools confirm letters of acceptance directly.

How to pay tuition safely

1. Find the payment page yourself. Type your school’s web address, go to the international student fees page, and use only the methods listed there.
2. Pay in your own name or your parent’s name, directly to the school or its named payment platform. Never to an agent’s or a student’s personal account.
3. Check any change by phone. If you get a message with new bank details, call the school’s finance office using the number on its official website. Do not use the number in the message.
4. Use your student number in the reference so the school can match the payment.
5. Get a receipt from the school and check that the payment shows in your student account.

Parents who pay from abroad should follow the same rules. Share the school’s official payment page with them, not a screenshot or a forwarded email. If a relative or friend offers to pay for you and be repaid later, make sure the money goes straight to the school, and keep proof of who paid.

Compare legitimate routes in tuition payment options compared. If you are paying from China or Nigeria, also follow your home country’s rules.

Red flags to watch for

• Any tuition “discount” offered by anyone other than the school itself.
• Pressure to pay today, or a threat that you will lose your seat or your visa.
• Payment requested in gift cards, cryptocurrency or cash.
• A request to use your account to receive and forward money for someone else. This can make you a money mule.
• Spelling errors, odd email addresses, or a web address that is close to, but not the same as, your school’s.
• An agent who will not let you contact the school directly.

Many of these signs match other newcomer scams. See banking and newcomer scams and immigration scams.

Questions to ask before you send any tuition money

• Did I find these payment instructions on the school’s official website, or did someone send them to me?
• Is the account in the school’s name, or the name of the payment platform the school lists?
• Does the amount match the invoice in my student portal?
• Has anyone asked me to keep this payment secret, or to pay faster than the school’s deadline?
• Can I see my enrolment and my fees in the school’s own student portal?
• If an agent helped me apply, does the school know the agent? Ask the school directly.

If any answer worries you, stop and call the school’s finance office using the number on its website. A short delay is better than losing a year of tuition.

What to do if you have paid a scammer

The CAFC recommends these steps:

1. Gather evidence. Save receipts, emails, chats and payment records.
2. Call your bank, or the institution that sent the money, right away. Ask whether the transfer can be stopped or recalled.
3. Report to your local police and get a file number.
4. Report to the CAFC online at the Report Cybercrime and Fraud system, or by phone at 1-888-495-8501 (Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. ET). You can report anonymously.
5. Tell your school. The international office can check your enrolment and may know about other cases.
6. Beware of recovery scams. The CAFC warns never to send money to someone who promises to get your money back.

If you paid from your home country, also report to the police and your bank there.

Will a scam affect my study permit?

It can. If you used a fake letter of acceptance, even without knowing, your application or status may be reviewed. In the 2023 task force cases, IRCC and CBSA looked at each case and found many students to be genuine. Others were not. If you think you were deceived by a consultant or agent, report it and get help from a licensed professional. See immigration scams for how to check a consultant’s licence.

Common questions

Sources

• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Report fraud
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: What to do if you are a victim
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Extortion scams
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Spear phishing and wire fraud
• CBSA: Charges in tuition fraud case (July 7, 2026)
• IRCC: Task force on students affected by fraudulent acceptance letters (CIMM, October 2023)

Checked against these sources on October 10, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.