The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has warned students and parents against falling victim to fraudsters, clarifying that applications for inter-university and inter-institution transfers have not yet been opened.
In a notice issued on Friday, the placement agency dismissed claims circulating on social media that students can already apply for transfers, saying the information is false.
KUCCPS said it will announce the official opening of the transfer application window through its website, verified social media pages and the Student Portal.
The warning comes after a fake Google Form began circulating in student WhatsApp groups and online platforms, claiming to facilitate transfers between universities, TVET institutions, KMTC colleges and teacher training colleges.
The phishing form requires applicants to pay Ksh1,000 for the transfer process and another Ksh600 for the service fee via a mobile money number prior to entering their particulars.
KUCCPS has advised the students not to make any payments or provide any personal particulars via unofficial links since the scam is meant to take advantage of those who are desperate to change their institutions or courses.
According to KUCCPS, all valid transfer processes occur through the official KUCCPS Student Portal upon announcement of the application window.
In the official transfer process, students login to the student portal where they opt to transfer to another institution or course. After providing a reason for the transfer process, the applicants pay the prescribed Ksh1,000 transfer fee using the eCitizen payment reference.
This clarification follows the recent allocation by KUCCPS of 293,869 students to various degrees, diploma, certificate and artisan courses in preparation for the September intakes.
It appears like the fraudulent application forms have targeted students who want to change the institutions after the allocation of this year’s placement list by KUCCPS.