"Malicious attackers have recently tried to gain access to students' financial aid refunds at multiple colleges in a scheme that involves sending fraudulent emails to students, according to a warning issued by the Education Department," The Washington Post reports. 

"The target is federal student aid refunds, money distributed to students after tuition and other education costs are paid.

The U.S. Education Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid received multiple reports from colleges and universities about the phishing campaign targeting student email accounts, a department spokesman said. Authorities declined to identify the schools that reported the attacks.

'The Department thought it was prudent to notify institutions about this scheme via an electronic announcement to schools and by posting this alert on the Information for Financial Aid Professionals website,' a department spokesman said.

... A spokeswoman for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators said the organization didn’t have any comment because it did not have information beyond the warning from the Office of Federal Student Aid."

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Publication Date: 9/18/2018