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29 January 2021

Have you received any spam emails advertising assignment or study help? Don’t get caught out

We’ve recently become aware of several spam emails and social media messages being sent to Deakin students that promote external study or assignment writing services. 

Have you received an email like this?

If you receive an email you’re unsure about or that offers study help:

Remember, having someone else produce work for you, whether you pay them or not, is a serious breach of academic integrity and strictly forbidden at Deakin University. 

Breaching academic integrity can get you expelled from university

Academic integrity is one of the foundations of our University culture. It relates to creating and submitting your work in an honest and fair way, acting and communicating ethically, and showing respect for the work of others. It also involves taking responsibility for supporting your fellow students to do the right thing.

Having others produce work for you, or enlisting the services of an organisation to produce assignments on your behalf, does not constitute study help; it is contract cheating.

The use of such services to create your assignments is a serious breach of Deakin’s Student Code Of Conduct and Student Academic Integrity Policy, and could result in you being excluded from the University permanently. Even if you’re not caught at the time, we’ve received reports of a number of students being blackmailed about their past behaviour throughout their professional careers. 

Replying to suspicious emails can also mean getting scammed

Please don’t click on any hyperlinks or attachments in any suspicious emails you receive, as the email could have come from a hacked Deakin email account or a scammer.

Deakin’s Cybersecurity team recently observed an email campaign that used a compromised Deakin account to send out phishing emails to other Deakin accounts in an attempt to steal personal information.

If you notice anything unusual or odd about an email you’ve received, report the email immediately to Deakin’s cybersecurity team.

Read more about staying safe online.

Don’t get caught out!

Remember to stay vigilant while you’re online to avoid being scammed, and take the following steps to avoid breaching Deakin’s academic integrity standards. Don’t ever be tempted to cheat; it’s just not worth it.



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