A Liverpool delivery driver earned £300,000 by completing university coursework and exams for students/Image: BBC
A UK-based delivery driver who secretly completed university coursework and online exams for students in exchange for money has been jailed for three years after investigators uncovered a large-scale academic fraud operation that generated more than £300,000 in illegal earnings.Shahid Adnan, 42, used his role as a private tutor to gain access to students’ university accounts, logging in on their behalf to complete assignments and sit exams. The scheme, which police believe may have involved 124 students at universities around the world, allowed Adnan to accumulate substantial wealth despite declaring employment as an Amazon delivery driver and tutor through his company, Study Sharp Ltd, Sky News reported.Liverpool Crown Court heard that Adnan pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation, money laundering and a hacking offence. A financial investigation found £2.4 million passing through his PayPal and bank accounts, while forensic analysis established that he had earned at least £300,000 through the cheating operation.Investigators said Adnan used the proceeds to fund a lavish lifestyle. Searches of his home uncovered bundles of cash, expensive household furnishings and white goods, as well as two high-value vehicles, an Audi and a BMW. The fraud came to light in March 2023 after a computer forensics student at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) submitted a pen drive for assessment. During a review of the device, a lecturer discovered material left behind by its previous owner, Adnan, and alerted police. The files contained students’ personal login details, coursework submission deadlines and financial records.Subsequent enquiries by Merseyside Police revealed that Adnan had been accessing university systems using students’ credentials and completing academic work on their behalf. Investigators also uncovered evidence of payments he received from students who had enlisted his services.During the police interrogation, Adnan admitted to sitting an exam for one student and receiving £250 in payment. However, he claimed he had not realised he required permission to access the university’s network.Detective Sergeant Adam Dagnall said the investigation showed that Adnan was able to log in to student accounts and complete assessments while building a lifestyle that far exceeded his declared income. He warned that academic fraud poses serious risks because students can obtain qualifications and enter professional careers without possessing the skills or knowledge those qualifications are meant to represent.The Crown Prosecution Service said Adnan took deliberate steps to hide the scale of his operation. Senior Crown Prosecutor Andrew Madden said: “He created complex audit trails across multiple bank accounts to avoid detection and spent the proceeds of his crimes on luxury items to reduce the chances of having to repay the money.”Madden described Adnan as “a fraudster who wanted more than his legitimate employment could provide and turned to criminal activity in an attempt to outsmart the authorities.”Following the sentencing, Liverpool John Moores University said: “Safeguards put in place by our staff helped identify the misconduct and support the police investigation.” The university added: “We promote academic integrity, take all forms of academic dishonesty seriously and regularly review our assessment security measures.”
