A 32-year-old student named Sibtain Hussain has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for fraud, with an additional twelve months for money laundering, by the Leeds Crown Court following an incident where he stole personal data from incoming foreign students at Lancaster University in England. Hussain, who began his higher education in 2017, accessed the university's system a year later, where he illegally acquired sensitive information about new students.

Utilizing the stolen data, Hussain contacted over 200 international students via their emails and phone numbers, demanding payments of up to £3,200 (approximately $4,300) for various supposed student services. His fraudulent activities resulted in him collecting over $65,000 from these vulnerable individuals, demonstrating a severe breach of trust and security for the university community.

The case has gained attention from the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), highlighting the ongoing threats of cybercrime in educational institutions. This incident serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of data protection and the need for institutions to implement robust systems to safeguard student information against similar malicious acts in the future.