A former international university student has escaped jail time over a "sophisticated" health insurance fraud.
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However, Borong Liu, 29, has been ordered to repay $11,692 and complete 240 hours community service.
Liu pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday to three charges of dealing with proceeds of crime.
Liu claimed he became involved in the scam after being approached by a woman named, Jennifer.
The fraud involved assuming the identities of international students, who held student health insurance policies, in order to lodge fake claims about visiting three Canberra medical centres.
Liu - who has a Masters in Financial Management - then received the reimbursed money into bank accounts he controlled.
The court heard he had been paid $11,692.15 via 43 payments between March 2013 and November 2014, for medical services he had not received.
Liu and Jennifer then met 10 times to split the money.
The scam had been discovered after Allianz Global Assistance - an overseas student health care provider - noticed inconsistencies in a claim and found the policy holder had not made the application or attended the medical facility.
AGA investigated and referred the matter to police, who arrested and charged Liu.
Liu's Legal Aid lawyer, Louise Taylor, said her client considered himself to "greedy and stupid", and had expressed regret for his involvement.
Special Magistrate Ken Cush, in handing down sentence, said the fraud had been difficult to detect and only discovered by chance.
He said it also involved significant breaches of privacy for the international students whose identities had been used.
However, Mr Cush said the amount taken had been relatively small and the offender had already spent time in custody.
The court heard Liu had been assessed as a low-to-medium risk of reoffending.
Mr Cush sentenced Liu to six months jail, to be fully suspended upon entering a one year good behaviour order.
The special magistrate also ordered Liu to complete 240 hours community service within the next year, and repay AGA $11,692.15.