By A Correspondent

What should be a season of celebration is becoming a nightmare for many Zimbabwean students, as a growing number fall prey to fake overseas university recruitment schemes.

Ambitious school leavers with excellent exam results are being deceived by con artists posing as legitimate education consultants. These scammers exploit students’ dreams of studying abroad by promoting false “fully funded scholarship” offers to top global universities.

A recent investigation by Check Point has revealed a troubling surge in these fraudulent operations, which are targeting recent A-Level graduates eager to secure placements at international institutions.

The fraudulent networks—often orchestrated by Zimbabweans living overseas—are taking advantage of hopeful students’ limited access to reliable information and urgent desire for better opportunities.

The scams typically begin with polished social media ads and online listings, claiming affiliations with reputable universities in countries like the UK, US, India, Canada, and South Africa.

Applicants are drawn in by the professionalism of the process, which appears legitimate at first glance.

Unfortunately, many only realise the deception after parting with large sums of money and receiving nothing in return.