“Cheaters never prosper.” While there are unfortunately some people out there who are determined to prove this proverb wrong, it’s still a good message to live by. Because cheaters probably shouldn’t succeed.

One man who came up with a genius idea to make sure that his fellow classmates stopped cheating off of him recently shared his story on Reddit, so below, you’ll find all of the details of his petty revenge, as well as some of the replies invested readers have shared.

Despite knowing better, many students have no qualms about cheating in school

Image credits: drazenphoto /envato (not the actual photo)

But when this man realized that the same kids that were picking on him were also cheating off him, he decided to deter them from ever doing it again

Image credits: drazenphoto /envato (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Xerzajik 

Cheating is extremely prevalent in academic settings

Image credits: RDNE Stock project / pexels (not the actual photo)

There’s a bit of gray area surrounding what’s actually considered cheating nowadays. Is completing a homework assignment alongside your friends and checking answers with one another considered academic dishonesty? Are you allowed to consult your siblings who have taken the class in the past? But one thing’s for sure: sneaking a peek at a fellow classmate’s test is against the rules.

According to ProctorEdu, cheating, plagiarism and fabrication are all considered academic dishonesty, and unfortunately, they’re all more common than you might expect. A survey from CollegeHumor found that over 60% of students admitted to cheating on assignments and tests, and a questionnaire sent to Rutgers students reported that 68% of them admitted to breaking their university’s explicit anti-cheating rules.

But apparently, there’s often very little risk when it comes to cheating, so students aren’t even scared of getting caught. Over three quarters of students who cheat say that they picked up the bad habit in high school, and 90% are sure that they’ll never be caught red handed. 

Academic dishonesty can result in serious consequences, but it’s frequently overlooked

Image credits: Dom Fou / unsplash (not the actual photo)

In theory, there would be serious consequences for students who are caught cheating. Punishments can range from being given a 0 on the assignment that the student was caught cheating on all the way to being expelled from their university. But as it turns out, it’s not often that students actually find themselves in the hot seat for academic dishonesty.

In fact, Open Education Database reports that the general public is more concerned about cheating than college officials are. One survey found that 41% of Americans and only 34% of college officials consider academic dishonesty to be a serious issue. When catching cheaters can result in bad press or drops in GPAs, universities might be less inclined to report these issues.

Top universities such as Harvard, Yale and Stanford have all addressed the fact that cheating is a prevalent issue among their students, but it’s a difficult problem to eradicate. When it comes to why students cheat, many feel pressure to perform well academically while trying to balance extracurriculars, and they might resort to cheating out of desperation. Others might see it as a victimless crime, if they’re sure they won’t get caught and everyone wins by having a good grade.   

Gifted students are often targets of bullying among their peers

Image credits: Ben Mullins / unsplash (not the actual photo)

In this particular story on Reddit, the man noted that he often got picked on for being an intelligent student, and unfortunately, that’s not an uncommon occurrence. Verywell Family explains that gifted students are often the targets of bullying because their behavior might stand out from the crowd and attract attention. Kids can be cruel, and sometimes being “average” is the safest thing a child can be.

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Being picked on due to their academic abilities can have lasting effects on students, causing them to view their gifts as flaws or making them feel like they have to hide the fact that they’re excelling in school. They might even try to fit in or gain approval from others by allowing students to cheat off of them or lose interest in their schoolwork in an attempt to fade into the crowd.    

Bullying and cheating are never acceptable, but schools are still working on ways to completely dissolve these issues. We would love to hear your thoughts on this brilliant petty revenge in the comments below, pandas, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article featuring revenge on cheaters, we recommend this piece next! 

Amused readers applauded the man for his revenge and shared similar stories of their own experiences

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