Universities on guard for campus visit scams

Peking University announced on Monday it will close the reservation system to 46 alumni, revoking their rights to make reservations for themselves and others to visit campus.

The decision came after these alumni assisted an unauthorized study group for visits, charging a total of 1.5 million yuan ($210,000).

On July 21, a study group managed to get 139 students into the campus by splitting reservations among alumni. Each student was charged 10,800 yuan.

In order to meet the demands of public visits during the summer, renowned universities in China, including Peking and Tsinghua Universities, announced the reopening of their reservation systems earlier this month.

Peking's reservation system resumed on July 8. Campus visits can be reserved seven days in advance through a WeChat mini-program. Alumni can book for themselves and a maximum of three people to accompany them per day.

Campus visits are free of charge, and visitors are advised to avoid scammers charging for guided tours, previous announcements from the university read.

The school's security department and alumni office will further improve the rules regarding the use of the alumni reservation system and verify the identities of alumni and their companions.

On July 5, a similar incident happened where a study group managed to make reservations by contacting people in the university, and some students and faculty members made reservations for the group. As a result, the organizers' access to the reservation system was permanently revoked and people who made reservations for the study group had their access suspended for two months.