Elsewhere evidence from SLC?

[Madhairday]

DD has had a couple of emails from '[email protected]' claiming to be from the student loans company, asking for evidence she is living outside of home as a sample check. It looks legit except for the fact that it asks students to send evidence via email - their accomodation letter and more worryingly their bank statement to show their payment to the university. Having looked on the student room I'm more confused because many say it's a scam but some say it's legit - including 'official reps' of SLC. The odd thing is that SLC have said they never ask for bank details over email, so this seems out of sorts. DD has emailed SLC but hasn't heard anything back, so I've now messaged them as well.

The email says she needs to get back with her evidence within 14 days or she will lose the extra part of her loan. I'd usually discount it as phishing but because some are saying it is legitimate I'm a little worried.

Does anyone know anything about this? Thanks!

Some of the comments here indicate that SLC / SFE are confirming the emails as legitimate and that it is a new system set up this year.
who-calls.me.uk/phone/03001000081

It also looks like they will accept alternatives to the bank statement (so one would hope).

Thanks MarchingFrogs. Yes, I'm leaning towards it being authentic, but really don't think they've gone about this well at all given their promise to never ask for bank details via email. Waiting to see if they get back to me today.

Did they get back to you? My daughter had received the same email and now letters to home which she’s only just opened as she is living in halls and just came home for a family birthday...she’s already emailed screenshots of her bank statement to them which i’ve only just found out, and i’m now very worried, as is she. I called SFE today, due to data protection they wouldn’t discuss anything specific, but did say it is a genuine thing that SLC have started to do...but i still don’t know if the communication is legitimately from them! i am going to ring SLC tomorrow, and i’ve asked my daughter to contact them to give her authority for me to deal, as the gov.uk info says they would never ask for bank details via email! it is very worrying as it threatens to reduce her loan in january to the living at home rate so she won’t have enough to pay her rent! I am trying to figure out how this issue can be raised more publicly as from the internet itbis clear to see the amount of confusion and worry it is causing genuinely honest people, any ideas how we could do this? Local MP? Makes a change from Brexit!

Well, they definitely do it:
www.heinfo.slc.co.uk/media/9815/counter-fraud.pdf

Case Study
• Random sample of students claiming elsewhere/own home rate of maintenance loan, however parental address is within close proximity to HEP.
• Evidence of address requested from the students or confirmation that student resides within parental home.
• From the sample, 39.6% of students had a reassessment to parental home rate- this saved £2,531,748 in one exercise.
• We cannot share information of any upcoming checks to be performed with any external source

(Looking at this on my phone, but round about slide 13, I think)

Is your DD at university fairly close to where you live (within what SLC might regard as commuting distance)?

Thanks for this Marching Frogs. Yes we are approx 15 miles away from uni, so that would explain why she has been chosen as a sample. We did try to convince her to stay at home and commute but she wanted to live the full uni experience. If only the SLC had the forethought to include a clause when students apply for their loans that they may share/request information with the Unis, then they could avoid all this and liaise directly to obtain confirmation of rent payments from the accommodation/finance teams. At least then the process would be more streamlined for 1st year students. But then that would be common sense wouldn’t it?! Mad hair day any news? will update on here with any developments.Thanks all😊

DD is over 3 hours away by any means except powered flight, so, having found that presentation online, I will cross, Have you had a request from SLC to prove that you live just off campus and not 165 miles away? off my To Do list.

Meanwhile, the most annoying of her flatmates (the one who has appointed herself Kitchen Monitor and DD the immediate suspect if the area is not up to her requirements), being relatively local, may have come under scrutiny.

Lol re kitchen monitor extraordinaire.There’s always one!!
I have received a copy tenancy agreement and confirmation of DD’s first rent payment from the Uni accommodation team, and forwarded both to the [email protected] email address, with a complaint letter requesting a response within 7 days and confirmation that they will not be reducing her student loan to the parental home rate, which their letter states they have done.
Unsurprisingly got a reply to say they were experiencing a high volume of calls and emails and will aim to respond within 10 days. No wonder with circa 40,000 confused students/parents with the same problem as us! Will keep you posted.