STUDENTS in Bradford are among those being warned after fraudsters targeted final loan instalments.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) is warning all students in Yorkshire and Humberside to be on their guard and not be tricked into disclosing any financial details or clicking on links in emails or text messages, as they could be installing malware on their systems.

Fraudsters often target students with bogus emails and SMS around the three loan instalment periods in September, January and April each year.

Fiona Innes, Head of Counter Fraud Services at the Student Loans Company, said: "We want to remind customers that we will never request a customer’s personal or banking details by email or text message.

"Anyone who receives a scam email about student finance should send it to us at phishing@slc.co.uk, as this allows us to close the site down and stop students from being caught out.

"Online fraudsters are aware that students are receiving their next instalment soon and may target them and their sponsors with emails and texts requesting personal and banking details to access their finance.

"We want to remind students and their sponsors to stay vigilant with the details they provide online and to be mindful of the personal information about themselves they post online and on social media too."

The Student Loans Company administers student finance on behalf of the Government and devolved administrations across the UK.