Western Sydney University (WSU) has issued an apology to current and former students after they received fraudulent emails claiming their degrees had been revoked. The emails, which appeared to be from the university's Policy Compliance Board of Trustees, stated that recipients had been permanently excluded from further study and that their degrees were no longer valid.

The messages declared that the decision was final and urged recipients to seek legal advice. A follow-up email, allegedly from the university's parking compliance and campus safety department, indicated that WSU had suffered a security breach. It claimed that vulnerabilities in the university's computer systems had been exploited and that sensitive data had been hacked and stolen.

The email criticized WSU for not addressing known security weaknesses since 2017 and for failing to inform students about the breach, raising concerns about student privacy and accountability.

In response, WSU confirmed that the emails were fraudulent and apologized to students who were alarmed by the messages. Vice-Chancellor George Williams reassured students that their enrollments and degrees remained intact. "We are actively investigating this matter and taking steps to contain and address the issue," he stated. He also noted that New South Wales Police are involved in the investigation.

The university had previously announced enhancements to its cyber capabilities following two significant cyber incidents last year and earlier this year, which compromised sensitive information, including passport and bank account details.

Alice Shen, a 2023 medical graduate from WSU, received one of the fraudulent emails. She described it as looking very formal and containing her correct student number and full name. The email caused her immediate concern about her career as a doctor. "I felt like my livelihood flashed before my eyes," she said. "If I don't have my medical degree, I can't work as a doctor. If I can't work as a doctor, what am I going to do?"

After her initial shock, Shen began to question the email's legitimacy, noting the absence of phishing links. She later discovered discussions about the scam on social media platforms, which helped her realize it was not genuine.

Shen mentioned that during her time at WSU, she frequently received scam emails, often from internal addresses. "The fact that they had my student number and could reach out to me just doesn't sit right," she added.

WSU continues to investigate the situation and advises students not to respond to the fraudulent emails or click on any links they may contain.