How to avoid fake agents and scam courses
The four signs of a bad agent, and the register that settles it.
4 minute read · Last updated 5 October 2026
The four signs
One: a guarantee — a guaranteed visa, a guaranteed job, a guaranteed pass. Two: pressure to pay a large sum quickly, in cash, with no receipt. Three: a price that is much lower than every other provider, explained by a special deal that cannot be checked. Four: no physical address, no registration number, and an answer for every doubt.
Any one of these should make you stop and check. Together they are a pattern.
How to check
Look the provider up on the official register to confirm it is registered to enrol international students, and confirm the specific course is listed. Check whether any agent you use is registered as a migration agent, on the official agent register.
Pay through traceable channels, get a receipt every time, and keep copies of everything you were promised in writing.
If it has already happened
Stop paying. Gather everything: messages, receipts, the advertisement, the agent's details. Report it to the relevant official body and, if large sums were involved, to the police.
You are not the first to be targeted, and reporting protects the next person as well as you.
The one thing to take away
Verify the provider and the agent on the official registers before you pay a cent.
Official sources
Always check the official source. Rates, fees and rules change.