Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Friday issued a new consumer alert warning prospective students and their families about fraudulent college and university websites. These websites impersonate legitimate higher education institutions to exploit students financially and steal personal information.

The new consumer alert follows a complaint to the Department of Attorney General from Eastern Michigan University (EMU), which reported that a website called smich.education was using the name Southeastern Michigan University to invoke EMU’s reputation and credibility to lure prospective students worldwide who may be seeking online educational opportunities. The website is not connected to EMU. While the Department reviews potential actions against the website, Nessel urges prospective students to refrain from providing any personal or financial information to the site.

“Fraudsters know that students and families are making big decisions about education, and they’re exploiting that moment to steal their hard-earned money,” Nessel said in a press release on Friday. “If something seems suspicious or too good to be true, do your homework before sharing any personal information. I want to thank Eastern Michigan University for bringing this matter to our attention so we can help protect our students from these scams.”

“We deeply appreciate the Michigan Attorney General’s Office for issuing this important consumer alert,” said Walter Kraft, Eastern Michigan University Vice President for Communications. “Protecting students from deceptive and fraudulent schemes is a shared responsibility, and we commend Attorney General Nessel’s leadership in safeguarding the integrity of Michigan’s higher education system. In an era where unscrupulous actors exploit digital platforms to mislead students, it is vital that we remain vigilant and proactive in defending those seeking legitimate educational opportunities.”

A fake college or university website may have:

— Wrong or missing contact information: If there is no phone number, no address, or no one is answering, the website might be fake.

— A domain that doesn’t end in .edu: Most real colleges have websites that end in .edu. Fake sites may use .com, .net, .college, .education, or .university.

— Promises that sound too good to be true: Fake colleges may say students can earn a degree without doing any homework. Some may also offer degrees in just a few weeks or allow students to obtain a degree based on experience alone.

— Strange ways to pay: Real colleges will never ask students to pay using gift cards or cryptocurrency. Scammers use these methods because they are hard to trace.

— Grammar or spelling mistakes: Fake websites often have misspelled words or confusing sentences.

— Pushy advertising tactics: Fraudsters may use spam, pop-up ads, and high-pressure calls to advertise their fake school. Real colleges are less likely to do that.

Prospective students targeted by fraudulent college or university websites are encouraged to:

— Find the college’s contact information for themselves: Don’t trust the phone number or email on the website right away. Look up the school independently. Then call or email to ask questions.

— Look for real reviews: Try searching online for the college’s name to find past students and professors. Don’t rely only on reviews or stories on the college’s own website.

— Check if the college is accredited: Prospective students can see if a college is accredited by looking it up on the U.S. Department of Education’s website.