Due to online scam, a Cardiff university student has lost almost £1,000 and the chance of getting the money back is very low.
Lin Xu, a student of Cardiff University, lost the money when she tried to book a room for new year’s eve through Airbnb. She booked the room in a hurry and transferred the money directly to the host’s personal account instead of paying through the official web page.
“You know, it is really hard to book a room for new year’s eve. If you don’t book early, you probably won’t get a room you like. After transferring the money, he didn’t reply to my message anymore,” Lin says. That’s when she realized she was scammed and reported it to the police.
Lin’s card is a Llyods bank card. The staff of the bank told Lin it would take them 5 weeks to investigate because it is Lin herself who transferred the money.
Lin also reported this to International student support, and student adviser Jane Harding told us that things like this are common in the university. She mentioned that it can be really hard for students to get their money back once the money is gone.
She also suggested that especially for international students, online payment can be confusing sometimes so students should be really careful when they paying online. Instead of using debit card, credit card is more recommended, because when you realize you have been involved in an online scam, you can freeze the card immediately and secure your money.