Amazon delivery driver jailed after earning £300k by sitting exams for Liverpool uni students

A man has been sentenced to prison after making £300,000 by sitting university exams on behalf of students in Liverpool.

Shahid Adnan completed assignments for more than 120 Liverpool John Moores University students and was jailed for three years.

The 43-year-old from Liverpool was caught in February 2023, with authorities discovering him after his scam earned him hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Dr Tom Berry, school of computer science and mathematics, discovered the fraudulent activity through a USB drive handed in by a student. He noticed the previous owner of the drive had inadvertently copied files and folders on to it.

Shahid Adnan, a ‘private tutor,’ has been jailed for three years, via Merseyside Police

These files included a spreadsheet containing details of multiple students, modules, coursework due dates, and login information. The lecturer passed this immediately onto the police.

Dr Berry found the IP address used to submit multiple pieces of student’s coursework. He also found documents linking to a company Adnan had set up called Study Sharp Ltd. This enabled police to find his location.

Police found Adnan was living a “lavish lifestyle.” Senior crown prosecutor, Andrew Madden said that this was way beyond what his stated occupations as private tutor and Amazon delivery driver could afford. This included owning two high-end Audi and BMW cars.

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He also had expensive furnishings and appliances. Additionally, he owned four separate bank accounts containing a total of £2,461,239.

Detective Sergeant Adam Dagnall, from Merseyside Police’s cyber dependant crime unit, said he hopes Adnan’s sentence “serves as a strong deterrent to those who would look to commit large-scale fraud, and those students who think they can cheat their way to an undeserved future”.

An LJMU spokesperson said: “The university promotes and supports a culture of academic integrity and takes all forms of academic dishonesty very seriously.

“We expect all students to conduct themselves appropriately and in accordance with the ethical values of an academic community.”

At Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, Adnan was sentenced after pleading guilty to three charges of money laundering. He also pleaded guilty to a hacking offence, and fraud by false representation.

Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the police have said they will now commence to recover Adnan’s assets gained through illegal activity.

Featured images via Google Maps and Merseyside Police