I've been accused of cheating on a course

[flopsyandjim]

Apologies if this is long but I don't want to drip feed and I swear what I am saying is the truth.

For background: I am a disabled person. I have multiple disabilities both physical and mental - I have ptsd and have been suicidal in the past.

Despite my disabilities, I have achieved a Cert HE, a BA, a PgD, a MSC and I plan to do a PHD in the future.

I have always been employed and I did these courses distance learning or part time. I am currently employed in a university - this is relevant.

During lockdown, I did several upskilling modules to keep me busy if I wasn't able to go to the gym etc. I also enrolled in a online A level course and got a grant for the cost of this due to my disabilities.

I have had a lot of problems with this course due to its inaccessibility eg I am visually impaired and have highlighted these issues repeatedly to little change. I failed some assignments first time around and I am working on resubmissions. I have regular talks with other students and some of them are not happy. There are no exams, just written assignments.

Well I've now been contacted by one of the A level course tutors to say that my essays have been found on a cheating essay website alongside my picture as my profile picture.

I've never heard of this website before today. I went to have a look and there are some of my essays on there (do not know how they got them) alongside several lesson plans for such as "how to learn English" (which are not my work at all). It also has me registered as studying in India (which I never have).

I told the tutor that this is not my account and I have no idea how the essays got there. I have never shared my essays with any one other than my tutors.

He says I need to get them taken off or there could be serious repercussions. I cannot get them off if it is not my account. I have tried contacting the site to ask for them to be removed but their FAQs say they don't remove content once uploaded?

I am terrified. Whilst I don't care if I get kicked off the A level course (even though I'm innocent), I am worried about what implications this could have for me in other areas. Could my work find out? Could it affect my hopes of doing a PHD?

On that basis, all my assignments for my degree and postgrad courses had to go through turnitin and never did any issues come up. I got Merit and Distinction passes.

Why would I cheat on an A level course I don't even really need? Why?

I am terrified about what this could mean for me and also worry that other students on the course could be impacted. I am honestly innocent and I'm trying to get it resolved. I've changed all my passwords in case of a computer or email hack. I don't know what else I can do. Help and advice very much welcome, especially from those with experience of something like this. Sorry for the length.

@SciFiScream

I understand the convenience of logging in via Facebook but it's just so risky.

Start unpicking that now. Everywhere you can start a direct, secure, private login.

I'd even suggest leaving gmail.

Also have you ever used public WiFi? Do you know it's not secure and if you login to something on public WiFi your login details can be more easily harvested?

If you logged into to Facebook on public WiFi and you use that for lots of things...well you can see the problem.

Start securing everything ASAP. If you go through this process it might add value to your conversations with the course provider.

Good luck.

Yeah no not how Facebook login for other sites works its a token system.

They don't get your password

techbeacon.com/security/grammarly-bug

nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/02/06/grammarly-user-patch-now-to-stop-crooks/

Oh and screenshot that the essay app has access via your Facebook.

[quote BlackBucketOfCheese]techbeacon.com/security/grammarly-bug

nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/02/06/grammarly-user-patch-now-to-stop-crooks/[/quote]
Unless the op is running a 3 year old unpatched version of grammarly that should be long gone

If the OP has logged into FB on public WiFi and that Facebook account is connected to other sites - then it's easy to piggyback no?

It seems there's an essay site attached to her FB account she was unaware of.

Anyway the fact remains is every site you login to should have separate and unique login details. There are secure apps that let you manage passwords. I use splash ID.

@parietal

I know this course is not at your university, but you might also want to give your boss / supervisor at the university a 'heads up' that you are having an issue with a site that has stolen your work. that way, if it ever comes to the attention of the university, you have got the truth on the record first.

That’s a good idea.

its 1am and I can't sleep. I need to try to sleep

I have sent an email to someone higher up than my tutor and I will see if my university IT department can advice also.

Will report back if I can tomorrow.

@SciFiScream

If the OP has logged into FB on public WiFi and that Facebook account is connected to other sites - then it's easy to piggyback no?

It seems there's an essay site attached to her FB account she was unaware of.

Anyway the fact remains is every site you login to should have separate and unique login details. There are secure apps that let you manage passwords. I use splash ID.

Facebook gives the app a time limited token it doesn't give the app your password.

The whole reason it exists is to help secure your data by keeping your password hash on the litteral fortress that is Facebook servers vs some dinky 3rd party company.

Login with Facebook is more secure than making an account for everything in general

Unless the op is running a 3 year old unpatched version of grammarly that should be long gone

Well obviously but it also shows that websites, extensions and apps we assume are safe, are not infallible.
Who is to know if a similar issues has arisen or not?

I’m not saying that’s a certainty btw but lots of people were saying it was surely safe.

So sorry this happened to you! I hope you get this resolved! I'm terrified of this happening. I have just begun studying at nearly 50 and am so un-techy myself (no flipping idea what I'm doing) I keep grabbing my poor teenagers to show me how to do the most basic of tasks. I can understand your fear - but I might add that your tutor seems VERY hard about this.

@flopsyandjim

I did what the PP said about checking facebook and the essay website is showing up in my facebook apps / log ins! but I've never used it!

If your FB account has been used (by someone else) to log into the rogue website you should be able to log in again and delete the essays shouldn't you?

@flopsyandjim I'm so sorry this has happened to you!
The best thing you can do is issue a DCMA notice to the website where your essays are hosted. The site should have a page detailing how to do this if they are based in the US, or perhaps your uni/course provider can provide guidance?

This is a really useful page about copyright which includes information about DCMA notices with particular regard to students: www.whoishostingthis.com/resources/student-copyright/

If your work appears in Google search results, you can report it here: support.google.com/legal/answer/3110420?hl=en-GB

I'm shattered, hardly slept, but logged into my emails to find that the essay site have taken down all the essays and banned the account, so that is good news and I will inform my tutor.

I also sent an email late last night to the person who I think is above him so we will see what comes of that.

That's great news OP!

Glad to hear that OP! Hope it's all sorted for you now, you must have been so worried!

OP - I think we got to the bottom of it. I hope you will be able to get some rest now.

For everyone - I really recommend never logging with a token (Facebook, Gmail, etc) anywhere, apart from if you really cannot do otherwise (I think some of third-parties school systems required parents to log in with Google or Facebook, which is a scandal, really).
While your account security is not technically compromised (the password is not physically passed), you could share quite a lot of information, and have absolutely no further control over how your information is propagated then. As in this thread - you have no control who could then believably impersonate you. No, they won't be able to log in into your social media - but for the rest of the digital world it will totally look as if they were you, and without a lengthy and expensive cyber fingerprinting you won't be ever able to prove otherwise.

Also, as mentioned above - keep separate passwords for separate websites and services. Make a rule, for example, that you will add the first and the third character from the websites' address in the fifth position in your "standard" password, or something like this. Definitely keep a separate and unique password to sensitive stuff - your email, all financials, all children-related stuff.
Even if a website is from a reputable company, don't believe that it will be secure just because it is a genuine and honest business. We are in an era where senior decision makers in companies have a massive blind spot when it comes to cybersecurity, mainly because of them being from an offline generation (no offence, I am from it too). It is very hard for them to separate an effective security solution from digital snake oil - they look the same, cost the same and are using the same buzzwords, so what's the difference?

@forinborin great advice that needs to be more widely shared. I'd recommend using it to head up a new thread, pointing to this one as a cautionary tale!

Great outcome OP

Haven't heard anything though from the tutor or course provider. No response to my emails explaining my innocence and that the materials are now gone. Complete silence. So I still don't know if there will be repercussions as was threatened! Really pissed off now. Gone from upset to pissed off.

There can't possibly be any repercussions as you have done as requested - meanwhile, as I said before, I think your tutor was a jerk about it. This won't be the first time this has happened.

heard back from tutor, he's passing the matter to senior people at the course provider, says it needs to be fully investigated, and the senior folk will be in touch with me for 'my side'. Tutor will not tell me how he came by this information and I find that very suspicious?

It didn't come up when I tried internet searches (although account now closed) and I had to go into the site and search to find my work and even then could only see thumbnails unless I uploaded my own work to see them properly (its not a money making site apparently, you only view assignments if you submit your own so again what would have been in it for me?)

But whoever saw my work, must have been cheating themselves surely? I am not being told how they found this fake account and its all very suspicious and it seems the finger of blame is still being pointed in my direction.

I'm really angry now.

I'm glad you're angry, that will help you make sure you are treated fairly. Please talk to your uni HR team or a manager you trust so they can support you, it's a tough thing to go through on your own and if there was work related to that uni then it's best to be seen to be open about it.

It seems to me that you haven't been accused of cheating - only potentially helping others to cheat. It would be worth checking the terms and conditions of the course/institution to see if that is explicitly mentioned as a breach, so you know what the worst case scenario might be.

A pp said they would need to prove your guilt, but I don't think that's true as it's not a criminal case - they will make a judgement on the balance of probabilities.

You need to write everything down in a very calm, logical way. Get someone to review it with a critical eye. Look at it from their perspective and don't assume your innocence will be as obvious to them as it is to you - e.g. they might find it strange that someone with your level of education is doing the course and suspect it's some sort of money-making activity. If you can get legal/practical advice via your employer's staff assistance programme then that would be worth doing. You could also start a thread in the Legal forum of Mumsnet, linking to this one, because there are very helpful lawyers over there who may be able to advise you.

Good luck!

You might also be able to get some informal advice from the Cybersecurity manager at your university to explain the technicalities of how someone used your FB account details, and in your submission you could cite news articles demonstrating that it's a common problem.