Scammers pose as students to steal tutor logins on major platforms

Fraudsters are targeting online tutoring platforms by posing as students. Their goal is to trick tutors into revealing login details through fake websites. Over the past two years, this scam has hit at least five major learning services.

The scheme begins when scammers book tutoring sessions under false identities. They then claim technical problems with the lesson link and direct tutors to a phishing site. These fake pages often mimic real platforms and ask for account credentials.

Once victims enter their usernames and passwords, the data is sent straight to the criminals. In some cases, the sites also request authorisation via Gmail or other email services. With access to an email account, scammers can break into other linked services.

Between 2024 and 2026, Chegg, Coursera, Udemy, Khan Academy, and Duolingo all faced credential theft through these tactics. The companies responded by adding multi-factor authentication (MFA) and stricter email checks. They also launched user education programmes and introduced AI tools to spot suspicious login attempts.

The phishing attacks have forced platforms to tighten security measures. Tutors and students are now being warned to verify links before entering personal details. These steps aim to reduce the risk of account takeovers and data breaches.