An acceptance email arrives, the poster looks professional, and the deadline is close. Before you pay or upload your passport, check whether the offer matches what the real organizer has published.
To verify international opportunities, identify the organization behind the offer, reach the application page through its official website, and check the current eligibility, dates and funding terms. Confirm who receives any payment and why sensitive documents are needed. Resolve important contradictions before committing.
This guide is for students, graduates and youth delegates assessing scholarships, internships, fellowships and conferences. The six checks below help you collect evidence and decide whether to proceed, ask questions or stop. They cannot guarantee that a programme will deliver every promise.
Why verification matters
A genuine organization can have an outdated announcement. A real conference can offer different funding packages to different delegates. A fake sender can also copy a real organization’s name and logo. These situations need different responses, so avoid treating every uncertainty as proof of fraud.
Keep three questions separate: Does the organization exist? Did it issue this particular offer? Do the written terms meet your needs? A “yes” to the first question does not answer the other two.
Step 1: Identify the actual organizer
Write down the full name of the organization running the programme. Check its contact page and look for consistent information about its work, staff and location. If the announcement names a university or employer, find that institution independently rather than opening only the links supplied in the message.
Then identify the person or business receiving any payment. If the name differs from the organizer, ask why. A payment processor or authorized partner may have a legitimate role, but that relationship needs confirmation from the organizer through an independently found contact channel.
A logo is not confirmation. UNICEF’s warning about fraudulent job offers explains that impersonators can use its branding and official-looking addresses to request money or personal information. UNICEF states that it charges no recruitment fees. A payment request presented as a UNICEF recruitment requirement therefore conflicts with its published policy.
Step 2: Find the primary application page
Open the organizer’s known website and navigate to the programme or careers section. Follow the application link published there. Some organizations use an external application platform; the important check is whether the official site directs you to that exact platform.
- Compare the spelling of the website address, not just the page title or logo.
- Check the sender’s full email address rather than relying on the display name.
- Be cautious when a forwarded link, QR code or message takes you to a different application route.
- If you cannot find the programme, use the organization’s independently located contact details to ask whether it is theirs.
HTTPS does not prove an offer is genuine. It encrypts the connection to a website. The UK government’s Stop! Think Fraud website guidance makes this distinction and warns that professional-looking pages can still be fraudulent. Treat secure connection indicators as one technical check, not an endorsement of the organization.
Step 3: Confirm the dates and eligibility
Find the current call or application instructions. Compare the programme name, intake year, location, dates and deadline with the announcement you saw. Record the deadline’s time zone too; a date without a time zone may need clarification.
Check citizenship and residence requirements separately, along with age, degree level, graduation date, experience and language evidence where relevant. Read whether a requirement must be met when applying or by the programme’s start date.
Hypothetical example: a poster advertises a 2027 intake, but the only official application page describes a closed 2025 round. That does not prove the programme is fake. It means the new intake is unconfirmed. Ask for the current official call before uploading documents or paying.
Step 4: Read the complete cost and funding terms
Do not let “fully funded” stand in for an actual cost breakdown. Check what applies to your own offer, including any conditions you must meet after selection.
- What charges apply, and what does each payment cover?
- Are flights, accommodation, meals and local transport included or excluded?
- Is support paid in advance, booked directly or reimbursed after travel?
- Are reimbursements capped, and which receipts or approvals are required?
- What happens to fees and travel costs if the event changes, you withdraw or a visa is refused?
- Who issues the invoice, receives the money and handles refund requests?
Save the terms and the version of your offer before paying. If the organizer promises something additional by email, ask it to confirm how that promise fits with the written conditions. Our funding comparison guide helps you calculate what you would still have to pay.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s scholarship scam guidance warns against advance payments tied to promised scholarships and claims of guaranteed awards. A published conference registration charge is a different type of transaction; it still needs a clear purpose, verified recipient and understandable cancellation terms.
Step 5: Check claims outside the organizer’s own pages
If a university, charity or international organization is named as a partner, look for confirmation on that partner’s website. If none is available, ask the partner directly using contact details you found yourself. A row of logos on an event page is a claim to verify.
Past participants can provide useful context. Ask specific questions about what they attended, what they paid and what support they received. Their experience is evidence about that particular event or award, not a guarantee about your offer.
Look for repeated, detailed accounts across independent sources. An absence of complaints does not prove reliability, and a single complaint may leave out important context. Event photos can show that a gathering took place; they do not establish that the next event’s funding or refund promises will be fulfilled.
Step 6: Check document requests before sharing
A passport copy may be needed at a later travel or enrolment stage, but first establish who is requesting it and why. Ask what information is required now, who will receive it, how it will be stored and whether a secure submission route is available.
Send only the documents needed for the verified process. Do not publish identity documents in group chats or hand over account passwords, one-time codes or access to your email. If a request seems excessive for the application stage, pause and ask for an explanation.
UNICEF’s fraud guidance specifically warns that fake offers can seek personal or banking information. The practical lesson extends beyond that organization: confirm the request through a trusted channel before supplying sensitive details.
A practical verification checklist
Copy this checklist into your application notes. Add the official link or saved reply beside each item, and mark unanswered points as “unconfirmed” rather than leaving them blank.
| Check | Record |
|---|---|
| Organizer | Full name and independently located contact details |
| Application route | Official programme page and the portal it links to |
| Current round | Intake, location, dates and deadline with time zone |
| Eligibility | Requirements you meet and any questions still open |
| Costs and funding | Your offer category, coverage, payment timing and exclusions |
| Cancellation | Published withdrawal, postponement and refund conditions |
| Supporting claims | Independent confirmation of material partner or funding claims |
| Personal data | Purpose of each document request and verified submission route |
Ask a question that can be answered precisely
“Is this legitimate?” is unlikely to resolve a specific concern. Ask about the missing detail instead, through an independently verified contact channel. You can adapt this message:
Dear [team],
I am reviewing [programme name and offer reference]. Before proceeding, could you confirm [the specific issue]?
The [poster/offer/page] states [detail], while [other source] states [different detail]. Please confirm which terms apply to my place and share the current official guidance.
If a payment is required, please also confirm the recipient, what the charge covers and the applicable cancellation or refund terms.
Thank you,
[Name]
Keep the reply with your offer. A clear written response gives you something to assess; a general reassurance leaves the original question unanswered.
What to do when the poster and offer disagree
Hypothetical example: a conference poster advertises travel support, but your acceptance email includes only accommodation. Ask which funding category you received, whether return airfare is covered, who books it and whether a spending cap applies.
Do not assume the broad promotional wording applies to every participant. If the organizer confirms that your place excludes flights, you can assess the real cost. If it cannot explain the mismatch, leave bookings and payment on hold while deciding whether to proceed.
Describe what you know accurately: “The airfare terms are unconfirmed” is more useful than declaring the whole event fraudulent without evidence. Equally, a friendly response is not a substitute for resolving the missing terms.
Verify international opportunities: a quick decision guide
| Decision | Evidence | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Proceed with preparation | The source, application route and material terms are consistent. | Check personal fit and prepare the required documents. |
| Pause and clarify | A current date, funding condition or payment relationship is missing or contradictory. | Ask a specific question and keep the written response. |
| Stop the transaction | The real institution denies the offer, or the request conflicts with a clear official policy. | Do not send money or further documents; report the impersonation through official channels. |
This is a decision aid, not a certification. Recheck important details if the venue, payment recipient, application portal or funding package changes.
Next steps after verification
Once the source and terms are sufficiently clear, decide whether the programme suits your goals and budget. Record it using our opportunity shortlist method. If travel is involved, use the international conference travel checklist before making arrangements.
If you have already entered a password on a suspected fake site, change it through the real service and change it anywhere else you reused it. If you sent money, contact the payment provider promptly and explain what happened, as the FTC’s scam-response guidance advises. For sensitive documents, seek guidance from the relevant issuing authority and use your country’s official fraud-reporting channels. The UK National Cyber Security Centre’s suspicious-website guidance also provides reporting and response information for its jurisdiction.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know an application link is official?
Find the programme through the organizer’s independently located website and follow the application link it publishes. An external portal can be legitimate if the official site directs you there. If the links disagree, ask the organization before entering information.
Do followers, testimonials or event photos prove legitimacy?
No. They may provide context, but they do not confirm who issued your offer or which funding terms apply. Verify important claims with independent sources and the actual provider. Past attendance is not a guarantee of future delivery.
Does an application or registration fee mean it is a scam?
The purpose and context matter. A normal event registration charge differs from a payment demanded to unlock a guaranteed scholarship. Check the provider’s own policy, the recipient and written terms. If the institution says its process is free, a fee request in its name is a serious contradiction.
Should I send a passport scan to apply?
Only after verifying the organization, the request and the submission route. Ask why the document is needed at that stage and how it will be handled. Do not send identity documents merely because a forwarded message or unknown intermediary asks for them.
Can these checks guarantee that an opportunity is safe?
No checklist can guarantee future conduct or eliminate all risk. These checks help identify inconsistencies, verify important claims and make the remaining uncertainty visible. Pause when a material question remains unanswered, especially before payment or disclosure of sensitive information.
Official resources and further reading
Sources reviewed on 7 November 2026. Reporting procedures vary by country; follow the relevant authority’s current guidance.
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission: Scholarship and Financial Aid Scams
- UNICEF: Beware of Fraudulent Job Offers
- UK government Stop! Think Fraud: How to Spot a Fake Website
- National Cyber Security Centre: Report a Scam Website
