Students and graduates from Western Sydney University (WSU) have been left shocked after receiving fake emails claiming their degrees had been cancelled and they’d been permanently kicked out of the uni.
According to ABC News, the scam began on Monday evening with a long, formal-looking message sent to current and former students, supposedly from something called the “Policy Compliance Board of Trustees”.
The email told recipients their enrolments had been cancelled, their awards revoked and that they were banned from studying at WSU ever again.
“Any existing certificates or awards previously issued to you are hereby revoked. Please be advised that … the decision of the Board of Trustees is final and binding,” one example read, published by 9 News.
The email even cited official-sounding legislation like the Western Sydney University Act 1997 and the Western Sydney University By-law 2017 to make it seem legitimate. Some people were advised to seek legal advice.
A second, unrelated fake email — claiming to be from “parking compliance, campus safety and security” — followed soon after. This one alleged a long history of security breaches at WSU, including a data hack in August this year. ABC News reported that it accused the uni of failing to disclose that sensitive personal data may have been stolen.
“Even more alarming is the fact that WSU has not disclosed this breach to students, leaving many unaware that their personal data may have been compromised. This lack of transparency is deeply troubling and further underscores the university’s disregard for student privacy and accountability,” it reportedly read.
WSU says none of this is true. In a statement the university confirmed the emails are “fraudulent” and “not legitimate”.
“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with some falsely claiming that they have been excluded from the University or that their qualifications have been revoked. These emails are not legitimate and were not issued by the University,” a WSU spokesperson told PEDESTRIAN.TV in a statement.
“We are reaching out to inform people that the email is fraudulent and have informed NSW Police. As this is part of an ongoing police investigation, we are unable to provide further comment at this time. We sincerely apologise for any concern this may have caused.”
While most recipients quickly realised the messages were fake, there was still a moment of panic for some. ABC News spoke to Alice Shen, a doctor who graduated from WSU in 2023, who said her “livelihood flashed before my eyes” when she saw the email. The message had her correct student number, full name and details, making it look worryingly real.
She said fake emails were common during her time at uni, but the fact the scammers had correct personal info “just doesn’t sit right”.
This isn’t the first time WSU has faced online security issues. The university had two recent breaches — one in October last year and another in April. Those incidents involved sensitive data, including passport and visa numbers, bank details and driver’s licence numbers.
It’s not yet clear if the current scam is connected to any of those past breaches. NSW Police and WSU say the investigation is ongoing and more details may emerge in the coming weeks.
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