The Library: Passwords & Cyber Security

We are currently aware of an email that has been sent to a student's personal email address concerning an investigation into academic misconduct.

We can confirm that any contact made by the university will always come from a Leeds Beckett email address and will be sent to your university email address whilst you are a student with us. We have no linik or association with academicintegrity.org.uk or britishpaperexperts.co.uk.

Should you receive an email similar to the example below we would recommend contacting your school as soon as you receive it and not engaging with any email addresses, phone numbers or websites associated with the email or the sender.

From: investigations@academicintegrity.org.uk

Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2024 at 11:13

Subject: RE: Notice of Academic Misconduct Investigation Reference Number #87361

To: ######

Cc: info@britishpaperexperts.co.uk

Dear #####,

We are reaching out regarding a serious concern involving potential academic misconduct related to your academic submissions. Our investigation has uncovered substantial evidence indicating that you may have engaged in academic dishonesty by sharing your assignment brief with an external writing service and paying for its completion.

Such actions contravene the university's academic integrity policies and are considered a breach of ethical and educational standards. We are committed to maintaining fairness and equity in our academic community and view any form of misconduct with utmost seriousness.

Summary of Allegations:

Our preliminary findings indicate that:

1. You engaged a third-party service to complete your assignment.
2. This act violates university regulations and guidance set forth by the Department for Education (DfE) and the Office for Students (OfS), which strictly prohibit outsourcing academic tasks to entities external to the university.

Actions Required:

In light of these allegations, we require you to:

1. Provide a detailed written explanation of your actions and any mitigating circumstances.
2. Submit proof of the authenticity and authorship of the work you submitted, such as drafts, notes, or supporting materials.

Next Steps:

You are scheduled to attend an online meeting for further discussion of this matter. The meeting details are as follows:

• Date: Friday, 20th December 2024
• Time: 13:20 - 13:40
• Platform: Microsoft Teams
• Access Link: Click Here to Join the Meeting

This meeting will include your module leader, program coordinator, Academic Support Officer (ASO), and other academic representatives.

Potential Consequences:

Failure to respond promptly or provide satisfactory evidence may result in formal proceedings with the following potential outcomes, as per applicable legal and institutional frameworks:

1. Degree Revocation: Under Section 409 of the Education Act 1996, your degree may be rescinded if found guilty of academic misconduct.
2. Financial Penalty: You could face a financial penalty of up to £20,000 under the Fraud Act 2006, Section 2, for academic misrepresentation.
3. Legal Action: A breach of the Education Act 2011, Section 42, may result in legal consequences, including imprisonment for up to 6 months.
4. Career Impact: Such violations may have a lasting impact on your academic and professional records.

We have also initiated a parallel investigation into the assignment writing service involved. For reference, we recommend you contact the company's compliance officer to address this matter:

• Contact Person: Thomas Edward
• Position: Compliance Head
• WhatsApp: +44 20 3129 8515

Your Rights and Responsibilities:

If you can provide verifiable evidence of your ownership and copyright over the submitted documents, we will review your case thoroughly. If you are found not guilty, all charges will be dropped. However, if the allegations are substantiated, the outlined consequences will apply.

We urge you to reflect on the gravity of this matter and the importance of upholding academic integrity. A breach of trust in education not only undermines your achievements but also jeopardizes your future opportunities. Please respond to this email within 24 hours with the required documentation. Your cooperation is critical in resolving this matter expediently.

Joe Powell

Assistant Intellectual Officer | board of Education

Sanctuary Buildings Great Smith Street London SW1P 3BT

Phishing is an attempt to trick you into sharing personal, sensitive or valuable information such as your university log in, bank details or other personal data. Posing as someone you know and trust (for example your bank, a well-known company, a friend or your university) online fraudsters will use email, phone or fake websites to “phish” or trick you into handing over your data.

• Stay vigilant when you deal with your emails. Look out for inaccurate spellings, check if the style is out of character from the emails your contact would usually send; or is it sent at an unusual time? Question why someone is asking you do something.
• If you're not sure about anything double check with whoever sent the email by contacting them directly; their account could have been compromised.
• Phishing emails often contain a link asking you to enter your username and password but may also prompt you to open files or documents. Don’t open any attachments or click on any links that you’re suspicious of.
• Click to see an example of what a phishing email looks like.
• Have a go at this quiz to see if you can spot the difference between the real websites and the phishing webpages.

If you have received a phishing email you should delete it immediately without opening it. 

If you have already opened and clicked on a link in the email, or opened any attachments please change your password straight away and contact us on 0113 812 1000. 

Please don’t be embarrassed, as many people fall for these scams.

• We would also recommend checking that no new email rules have been set up on your student account, as some Phishing emails can set up rules such as forwarding all your email to another address without your knowledge.
• For instructions on how to check your email rules. Please see this FAQHow do I delete an email rule in Outlook?
• Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.