Liverpool man earns over £300,000 by earning cash from taking student exams and coursework; jailed for three years

A man who made more than £300,000 by secretly completing coursework and online exams for students has been jailed for three years after a university investigation revealed his actions.Shahid Adnan, 34, of Liverpool, was sentenced after pleading guilty to fraud and money laundering in connection with a scheme involving students at Liverpool John Moores University and other universities.Adnan used students’ login details to access their accounts, complete assignments and take online exams on their behalf in exchange for payment. He also ran a company called “Study Sharp Ltd” through which he carried out illegal work.The fraud was discovered after a student submitted a pen drive containing coursework to the university’s senior computer forensics manager on February 24, 2023. A routine check of the device revealed that it had been previously used by Adnan and contained links to his company. Further inspection also uncovered a spreadsheet containing the personal login credentials of other students, as well as details of modules and deadlines.The investigation revealed that Adnan had been accessing university systems to fraudulently submit assignments and take exams. The case was subsequently handed over to Merseyside Police’s cyber-related crime unit, who later executed a search warrant at his home and arrested him.Adnan later admitted he sat an exam for a student and used their details to access their account, for which he was paid £250. He said he had “no idea” he needed authorization from the university to log into the account. He has probably done similar work with about 124 students at universities around the world.Adnan earns far more than he declares as a tutor and Amazon Flex delivery driver. His accounts showed large sums of money, including £1,505,156 in a Barclays account, £600,590 in a Lloyds personal account, £245,279 in a Lloyds business account and £110,214 in PayPal. He also owns two cars, an Audi and a BMW, as well as expensive furniture.He was charged with committing fraud by misrepresentation, causing a computer to perform a function that protected or allowed unauthorized access to program data, and money laundering. He pleaded guilty to the first two offenses on September 2 and later pleaded guilty to money laundering on October 7, 2025.A timetable has now been set for the recovery of the money gained from his crimes.