The most common way a Pakistani student loses money in the whole process is not tuition, not agents, and not visa fees. It is an accommodation deposit transferred to someone who does not own the property.
The pattern is consistent and it is recognisable. Every one of its signals is visible before the money moves.
The signals
A price meaningfully below the local market for that area. A landlord who will not appear on a video call or walk through the property live. An address that does not resolve to the photographs when checked on a map. Pressure to pay quickly because someone else is interested. Payment demanded to a personal account, by money transfer service, or in cryptocurrency. A contract with no deposit protection reference where the local law requires one.
Any one of these justifies stopping. Two together is close to conclusive.
Verification that actually works
Ask for a live video walkthrough where the person opens a window and shows the street. Cross-check the address against a mapping service and the photographs. Ask for proof of ownership or letting authority. Check whether the deposit scheme reference is real where one exists. Search the listing text, because scam listings are frequently reused verbatim.
Prefer university halls or purpose-built student accommodation for the first term, and move to the private market once you are in the city and can view in person.
Contracts
Read the notice period, the deposit protection arrangement, the subletting rules, joint liability with housemates, and above all the cancellation terms if your visa is refused.
That last clause is the one students discover too late. Some providers release you on proof of refusal, some universities refund halls deposits, and most private landlords offer nothing.
If it has already happened
Report it to the local police and to the platform, contact your bank immediately because some transfer types can occasionally be recalled, and tell your university's international office, which has usually seen the same scam before and may have emergency housing.
Speed matters far more than embarrassment. The students who recover anything are the ones who reported within days.