The biggest victims seem to be prospective students in countries like India, where the lower cost of a degree or course offered by the fakes is a big draw compared to the sky-rocketing cost of a traditional or more well known university.

A lot of people find themselves taking out loans to cover the costs of tuition – which while cheaper can still run into the thousands easily – and end up with nothing to show for it at the end. Then they have to get jobs and further loans to either pay off the initial loan or to continue to learn in a real university or college.

In a cruel twist of fate, a good portion of those taking advantage of the foreign students duped into enrolling  are actually foreign nationals themselves.

The government is continuing to promise to crack down further, but it is unknown as of yet what effect this will have as the organisations pop up as quick as they are shut down. So, a word of warning is to investigate any college or university you are thinking of paying for courses and ensure that you don’t become one of the unlucky people snared in the trap.