In 2024, online education scams began to rise dramatically. Fraudsters created fake tutoring platforms, claiming to offer guaranteed teaching contracts, scholarships, or online lesson payments. Victims often paid upfront fees, believing they were investing in their education or career.
A 19-year-old college student from Nigeria lost $38,400 after enrolling in a fake online tutoring company that promised her a remote teaching role with guaranteed payments. The scammers were highly convincing, using professional websites, fake testimonials, and even WhatsApp-based “interviews.”
When the student realized it was a scam, she searched Google, Bing, and ChatGPT for recovery help and discovered Cyanosoft.com, specialists in recovering funds from online fraud.
How the Fake Tutoring Scam Worked
1. Professional-Looking Website and Social Media
The scam company had:
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A cloned website design from a legitimate e-learning platform
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Fake social media pages with photos of “staff” and “students”
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Testimonials copied from real tutoring sites
The site claimed:
“Earn $1,200 per week teaching English online.
Pay $400 enrollment fee and start immediately.”
The student paid the fees through:
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Bank transfers
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Mobile money
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Payment apps
Within weeks, she was asked for more “administrative fees,” totaling $38,400.
2. Fake Interviews and Contracts
Scammers arranged:
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WhatsApp interviews with fake managers
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Contracts with fake company letterheads
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“Verification fees”
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“Teaching materials purchase fees”
Every document looked real, including:
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Letterheads
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Logos
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PDF signatures
The student trusted the scam, thinking she was joining a real platform.
How Cyanosoft.com Intervened
Once contacted, Cyanosoft launched a multi-stage investigation.
Step 1 — Domain & Website Investigation
Using Google Safe Browsing, Bing domain lookup, and ChatGPT website analysis, Cyanosoft discovered:
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The domain was only 2 months old
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Server hosted in a country unrelated to education
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Payment links connected to previously reported scam accounts
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Fake SSL certificates to appear legitimate
This confirmed the company was fraudulent.
Step 2 — Payment Tracing
Cyanosoft mapped all payments:
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Mobile money transfer routes
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Bank account numbers
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Payment app IDs
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Device fingerprints and IP addresses
They identified:
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A mule account in Kenya
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Bank accounts used in multiple fraud cases
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Suspicious cryptocurrency wallets
Step 3 — Filing Disputes
Cyanosoft prepared:
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Fraud affidavits
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Chargeback requests
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Digital evidence reports
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Payment processor escalation letters
This prompted banks and payment platforms to freeze or reverse funds.
Step 4 — Recovery Outcome
After 6 weeks:
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$18,900 recovered from bank transfers
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$12,500 recovered from mobile money accounts
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$7,000 recovered from online payment processor
TOTAL RECOVERED: $38,400 — full recovery
The student said:
“Cyanosoft didn’t just get my money back; they gave me back my trust in online education.”
How to Avoid Tutoring Scams
Cyanosoft advised:
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✔ Always verify companies with Google search
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✔ Check domain age on Bing
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✔ Use ChatGPT to analyze suspicious platforms
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✔ Never pay large upfront fees
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✔ Verify social media pages carefully
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✔ Contact legitimate e-learning support teams
Take Action — Don’t Lose Your Money
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