Western Sydney University Students Targeted in Degree Revocation Scam
Students and graduates of Western Sydney University are being targeted by a fraudulent email scam falsely claiming their degrees have been revoked. The university confirmed it has alerted NSW Police and is contacting affected individuals after becoming aware of the deceptive emails.
The scam arrives as the university continues to address the fallout from a previously disclosed cyber incident last October, where student email addresses, identification numbers, tuition fee information, and enrolment data were compromised. while a link between the two events has not been established, the incidents underscore the growing threat of cybercrime targeting educational institutions and the sensitive personal data they hold.
A university spokesperson stated, “Western Sydney university is aware of fraudulent emails sent to students and graduates, with some falsely claiming that they have been excluded from the university or that their qualifications have been revoked.” The spokesperson emphasized, “these emails are not legitimate and were not issued by the university.”
The university is advising recipients not to engage with the emails and has informed NSW Police, but is limited in further comment due to the ongoing investigation. “We sincerely apologise for any concern this may have caused,” the spokesperson added.
Last year’s cyber incident saw unauthorized access to student data, as reported in October.The university has not confirmed whether the current scam is connected to that breach.
