Online cheating services have become a concerning issue for colleges and universities because they often lead to students being extorted and blackmailed. These services offer to complete assignments for students in exchange for payment. While the immediate risk might seem to be getting caught, the consequences can be much more severe and far-reaching.

When students engage with these services, they often provide their GHC single sign-on credentials to allow an operator to submit their online assignments on their behalf. Operators and brokers can then use these credentials for other GHC websites and online services and may attempt to redirect student financial aid to an overseas bank account, take out student loans, and harvest email addresses of other students to recruit. Why? These services operate overseas in countries where local police are corrupt or turn a blind eye to online crime. The contract cheating industry is also rife with blackmail. Services will demand additional payments to keep your cheating secret after they’ve “helped” you, creating a cycle of extortion that can be financially and emotionally devastating. Plagarism Today explains why:

The reason is simple: The victim of the scam has little to no recourse, since they were acting unethically themselves. These scams can run the gamut from simply taking the money and running to out-and-out blackmail … sites usually require turning over the student’s login to take the test for them, this gives the would-be scammer a lot more information to threaten the student with. Scammers can directly contact professors, lock students out of their accounts, gather other personal information about the student and more. Depending on the information behind that login, they may be able to access other sites and services that the student uses. In short, students that use essay help services aren’t just paying money to someone who might not come through, but they are turning over the keys to their academic lives.

While contract cheating services may seem like an easy way to handle a difficult class, they come with life-changing risks. You will be extorted. You can lose financial aid refunds or have fraudulent loans taken out in your name, and you may face serious academic consequences for cheating and sharing your login credentials.