“Is it possible to hire someone for an online course?”

Yeah, so is it even possible to hire someone to help with an online course? I keep seeing these talks about outsourcing coursework, and I’m kind of stuck on how it actually works in practice, or whether it’s really allowed. On top of that, some sites make it sound like pay someone to take my online class,  and I’m not sure if that’s legit or if it’s basically a gray area. What worries me most is the risk side. Like, do universities usually detect this kind of thing, and if they do, then what consequences typically show up? I’ve heard everything from “no big deal” to full academic penalties, so I’d like a clearer idea of what tends to happen.