HELB Warns Students Against Fake Emails Amid Loan Season

The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has issued a warning to students, parents, and the general public regarding a surge in fraudulent activities by scammers impersonating the board.

The warning was issued after helbcontactservices@gmail.com, a fictitious email address, was discovered to be sending unauthorized correspondence to unwary applicants.

“Beware of fraudsters masquerading as HELB spreading false information. Always use our official channels for accurate information and support,” HELB warned on a post on Friday, January 16, 2026.

The board clarified that it does not use generic email providers such as Gmail or Yahoo for official business.

“The HELB official Email address is contactcentre@helb.co.ke and HELB does not have a Gmail, yahoo or any other email,” HELB noted.

The board also said that their services are free of charge and no one should ask for payment from them.

Also Read: How to Apply for HELB Loan in 2026

How to Spot the Scam

Fraudsters are increasingly using “cloned” channels, websites and social media pages that mimic the official HELB branding to harvest personal data or solicit illegal payments.

To protect yourself, keep the following red flags in mind:

Generic Domains: Official HELB emails will always end in helb.co.ke. Any message from a Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook account is a scam.

Request for Fees: HELB reiterated that all services are free of charge. If anyone asks for a “processing fee” or “convenience charge” to facilitate a loan, they are a fraudster.

Urgency & Poor Grammar: Scams often use high-pressure language or contain spelling errors in their official-looking headers.

This caution comes at a time when Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) and KUCCPS students are ready to apply for their HELB loans as they join the March and September intakes, respectively.

A total of 993,226 candidates sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations in 2025, and a larger percentage of them are expected to join various universities and colleges to further their studies.

Also Read: Government Makes Changes To Makau Mutua-Led Panel On Compensation For Protest And Riot Victims

More on HELB Contacts 

Beneficiaries who may have enquiries regarding HELB loan status or repayments are advised to contact HELB Offices from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday, or self-serve through the following channels:

Email dru@helb.co.ke.co.ke for particulars of their loan accounts.

Loan status may be confirmed via the loanee portal on the website helb.co.ke; USSD Code *642# or HELB App through Google Play Store.

The Customer Experience Centre onthe  Ground Floor, Anniversary Towers

Contact Centre: Tel: 0711052000

Huduma Centres: Nairobi-GPO, Machakos, Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu, Kakamega, Kisii, Nyeri, Embu, Kitui, Bungoma, Lodwar, Meru, Thika, Kitale, Kericho, Nandi, Muranga, Garissa, Narok, Migori, Chuka, Kilifi, Taita Taveta, Makueni, Bomet and West Pokot.

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HELB Notice over scammers