f you are worried about online learning course scams, you aren’t alone. It can be very difficult to know what websites to trust nowadays. The internet means that almost anyone can put up a website and start selling things, including online courses. However, there are several ways to protect yourself and ensure that you’re getting a safe training provider who offers first class tutor support and certification. This article will hopefully reassure you that Study at Home are genuine, and give you a few tips on how to spot any online scammers.

Reviews

One of way that online learning companies try to fool students is with fake reviews. They will often have lots of reviews on their own site, usually all with five stars. The problem with this is that they control the reviews that are on their own web page and can put as many fake reviews as they want. To find out if the company you are looking at is part of a distance learning scam, try searching for reviews on Google . At the time of writing this article we found a website offering to sell us fake reviews for various review sites which just complicates things further!

Accreditation

Another way online learning scams can operate is with dodgy accreditation. This applies to lots of different areas of the company, but mostly to certificates. First, look at the qualification information of the course and do some research. Most of Study at Home courses come with accreditation from various awarding bodies. Some of our qualifications are from awarding bodies such as CACHE NCFE 9Through Kendal Publishing) Some of our courses do not result in national qualifications, we do however ensure that this information is clearly displayed on our website, but these courses are useful for CPD or skills training.

Online learning scams on the other hand will often advertise courses as if they are all national qualifications. Or they will tell you that their course is something that it’s not. It is only when you go for a job interview that you find out the qualification is not recognised. The best way to beat this kind of scam is to do two things. One: ring the company and ask questions. You can usually tell pretty quickly if someone doesn’t know what they are talking about. Two: do your own research. Never just trust what you are told about an online course. Find out what you need and look for a company that offers exactly what you want.

One example is childcare, there are a wide range of courses available, but you need ensure the course is listed on the Ofqual Register. There are of course plenty of CPD courses which are ideal for enhancing your skills. What we are saying is just beware and do your homework.

Social Media

This one can be tricky but is still useful. Obviously a company has a lot of control over their own social media profiles, but on sites like Facebook or Instagram it is still very hard for someone running online scams to hide. The public are free to comment, and the scammer can’t delete their comments. You will also find that real home study companies take the time to regularly post on their social media pages. A scam company will usually just have a few old posts and maybe a couple of fake reviews.

Know your rights

Distance learning scams often rely on people not knowing their rights. In the UK, you have the right to return anything you buy within 14 days and get a full refund. This includes online learning courses. So, if you get a course from a dodgy company and it doesn’t match what you expected, then ask to return it straight away. If they say they don’t do refunds and you are in your 14 days then they are breaking the law. The only exception to this if you access and start an online course you have to sign a waiver that you cannot cancel once you have accessed the course.

Trust

Finally, trust. Even with all the tips we have given you here you can never be totally sure if something is a scam. At some point you are going to have to trust someone. But trust doesn’t have to be blind. Before you enrol on a course, send a couple of emails to the company, or give them a call. If the answers you get don’t satisfy you, then walk away. Study at Home offers a full consultation through our website, where we let students state their needs and ask questions. We as a company will never pressure a student to enrol, but we will give the best advice we can so you can make an informed decision.

Do not be put off by this article there are plenty of excellent first-class providers in the market, just to reiterate do your research properly.