The University of the West Indies (UWI), a leading regional higher education institution spanning multiple Caribbean nations, has issued an urgent public warning to prospective students, institutional partners and community members after uncovering a sophisticated fraudulent website that impersonates the university.
In an official press release published by the institution, UWI officials confirmed that the unauthorized platform has been misappropriating the university’s official name, branding and visual identity without permission to deceive users into believing it is an official UWI digital resource. The institution emphasized that the fake site holds no endorsement, authorization, or affiliation with the legitimate university in any capacity.
A key point of concern raised by UWI is the fake website’s inclusion of an interactive form that collects sensitive personal data from unsuspecting visitors. The university clarified that it does not receive any of the information submitted through this fraudulent platform, including full names, email contact details, telephone numbers and other personally identifiable information.
As a proactive protective measure, UWI is advising any individual who has already interacted with the fake site to exercise extreme vigilance against any unsolicited follow-up communications, including emails, phone calls or messages that falsely claim to originate from the university. The institution has urged the public not to share additional personal or financial information in response to unvetted requests, and to confirm the authenticity of all purported UWI communications through the university’s verified official channels.
According to the press release, all legitimate information about UWI’s academic programs, admissions processes and institutional partnership opportunities is exclusively hosted on the university’s verified official websites: these include dedicated platforms for the Mona Campus in Jamaica, the St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago, the Cave Hill Campus in Barbados, the Five Islands Campus in Antigua and Barbuda, the UWI Global Campus, and the institution’s Regional Headquarters website.
UWI has already activated a coordinated, multi-pronged response to resolve the incident and mitigate harm. Steps taken so far include reporting the fraudulent activity to international cybercrime watchdogs and relevant law enforcement agencies, pursuing both legal and technical avenues to have the fake website permanently taken offline, and collaborating with digital and industry partners to limit potential damage to users and the institution’s reputation.
Members of the public who have visited the fraudulent site or hold information that could support the investigation into the scam are invited to contact UWI’s official response team at [email protected]. The institution reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to safeguarding its students, partners and institutional standing, and stated it will continue implementing all necessary measures to fully address this cyber fraud incident.