The 'guaranteed pass' trap for English language proficiency exams.

Information about taking foreign language certificate exams on behalf of others on the "Foreign Language Certificate Exam Assistance Service" fanpage - Photo: screenshot

This information is from the Foreign Language Exam Assistance Service fanpage. This service guarantees students will achieve a minimum TOEIC score of 450 or an IELTS score of 4.5.

Guaranteed success, money back if you fail.

To obtain the B2 certificate, representatives from this website provided advice on the exam support process. Accordingly, they would first register the client for an exam and arrange for a substitute test-taker, then have the two sit next to each other in the exam room.

"We will register you two for the computer-based exam. On the exam day, you still need to be present at the exam location as usual, but you won't be doing the exam; our student will do it for you. For example, you'll sit at computer number 1, and our student will sit at computer number 2... After the camera recording is complete, our invigilator will remind you both of your incorrect seating positions and then switch places."

Then you will sit at the student's computer, and the student will sit at your computer and do the assignment for you.

"The process is very thorough and secure. Regarding payment of fees and exam-taking fees, you will pay after receiving the certificate," this website advises.

We raised the question of how to take the speaking test, and how to have someone else take it on our behalf. This page requested a phone number for direct consultation.

A person named Ta Anh Duc called to offer further advice regarding the speaking test process and costs. This person stated that it's impossible to arrange for someone to take the speaking test on your behalf. However, they would provide four questions with answers, ensuring the test adheres to the topic.

"When entering the exam room, because the invigilator is one of our people, students are allowed to bring in four pre-prepared answers; students only need to look at them and answer," this person advised.

We only accept online exam registrations and payments through the school's account; there are no third-party registration or fee collection methods.

Ms. Khuat Thi Ngoc

Constantly demanding payments like... a multi-level marketing scheme.

Following an advertisement on social media for Remi International English – offering accelerated IELTS, TOEIC, PTE, and VSTEP courses – Mr. T. (from Ho Chi Minh City) contacted and received advice from a person named Ho Quang Dat. The all-inclusive cost was 8 million VND, with the exam scheduled for September 21st at Van Lang University.

After Mr. T. provided his personal information and transferred the registration fee of 3.6 million VND, Dat sent him a commitment letter bearing the red seal of IIG Vietnam.

In this commitment letter, the person named Dat identifies his workplace as the IIG Center, located at 28 Mai Chi Tho Street, An Phu Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City.

After completing the VSTEP B2 exam, Mr./Ms. T. must pay the remaining amount of 4.4 million VND.

However, that wasn't the final cost. The commitment letter also stated: "Due to information security concerns between the student and the person providing the backdoor assistance, we require Mr. T. to deposit 10 million VND on September 17th to maintain the confidentiality of both parties. We will hold this money until after the exam on September 21st and then return it."

Below the commitment is the red seal of IIG Vietnam and the name of Mr. Ho Quang Dat. Notably, the IIG Vietnam seal on this commitment also includes the words " Ministry of Education and Training ," similar to the seals of universities.

Mr. T. deposited a total of 13.6 million VND into account number 318.621.591 at MB bank, under the account name IIG Services Co., Ltd.

On September 19th, Dat messaged T., saying that the speaking test examiner had requested a 5 million VND deposit to keep the exam questions confidential, promising to return the money after the test. T. disagreed and demanded a full refund.

At this point, Dat introduced T. to a woman named Hanh, who was supposedly the center's accountant. All communication took place via Zalo and Facebook Messenger; there was no face-to-face meeting outside or at the center's headquarters.

A woman named Hanh requested T. to provide proof of payment. After checking and confirming that T. had paid 13.6 million VND, Hanh stated that according to the center's regulations, students wishing to receive a refund must pay a verification fee equal to 50% of the total amount paid.

Accordingly, T. had to pay an additional 6.8 million VND. After T. paid the verification fee, the center would return a total of 20.4 million VND to T.

Mr. T. realized this was a scam, refused to pay the extra money, and told Hanh he would report it to the police. Hanh then turned hostile and said to T.: "You've already used backhanded methods and you're still acting like this? Report it for me. I'll report your case to the inspectors. I've been an accountant for 5-7 years and I'm not afraid of anyone!"

Cheat

We contacted Remi English. Over the phone, a representative from the center named Tra My stated that they have absolutely no involvement in the foreign language certificate exam support activities as we reported.

The person then said they were busy and hung up.

Meanwhile, upon reviewing the commitment letter that Ho Quang Dat sent to Mr. T., Ms. Le Thi Thanh Thuy, director of IIG Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, immediately asserted that this was a scam because IIG does not offer any such service.

According to Ms. Thuy, the seal is immediately recognizable as fake. IIG Vietnam only organizes international English certificate exams and does not have VSTEP (Vietnam's 6-level foreign language proficiency framework), so it cannot guarantee a B2 level for its customers.

"Many people who have been scammed in this way have come to IIG Vietnam to report and verify the information. We have also reported the information to the police so they can investigate," Ms. Thuy said.

Similarly, Ms. Khuat Thi Ngoc, deputy director of the English Testing Center at Van Lang University, affirmed that the current VSTEP testing process cannot allow for the kind of cheating that is being advertised. They are making such claims to deceive people.

"Recently, we discovered a case of using fake documents to take the exam on behalf of someone else and reported it to the police. However, fraud in the VSTEP exam is quite common," Ms. Ngoc said.

The examination will be conducted strictly and rigorously.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nga, director of the Center for Foreign Language and Information Technology Training and Assessment at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Banking, stated that the English proficiency assessment exam based on the 6-level foreign language proficiency framework for Vietnam (VSTEP) is organized by the Ministry, and the university is only a member of the examination board.

The exam was conducted very strictly, with police and security cameras monitoring the entire process. The exam was computer-based, with candidates sitting at their assigned computers and not changing during the exam.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bay-bao-dau-thi-chung-chi-tieng-anh-20240922220142956.htm