Sophisticated scams lurk during exam season; what can you do to protect yourself?

Countless sophisticated scams target parents and students.

According to the police, the fraudsters meticulously crafted a scheme, using technology to impersonate voices and images, create websites, and send branded messages identical to those of official agencies and schools to lure victims. Their goal was not only to steal money but also to illegally collect sensitive personal data, posing significant security and public order risks in the province.

Through monitoring the online environment, the police have compiled a list of common scams frequently used by perpetrators during exam season, as follows:

Selling "authentic exam papers" and "100% accurate answers": On forums and social media groups like Facebook, Zalo, and Telegram, numerous fake accounts post advertisements claiming to have leaked 2025 high school exam papers, "accurate answers for every question," and "VIP cheat sheets guaranteeing high scores." Prices for these "items" range from a few hundred thousand to tens of millions of dong. Many students, under pressure to achieve high scores or with a complacent attitude, wanting to "take shortcuts," readily spend the money. However, after transferring the money, these individuals often block communication, disappear, or send back worthless materials, or even exam papers from previous years.

Opening "ghost" online exam preparation courses: With attractive advertisements such as "100% guaranteed pass rate," "guaranteed minimum score for top universities," and "leading exam preparation experts," scammers lure students into registering for online courses. After students pay the tuition fee, they may only send a few rudimentary materials copied from various sources, or even provide no materials or classes at all and cut off all contact.

Scams involving "score manipulation" and "guaranteed admission" to universities : This is a particularly dangerous tactic, preying on the despair of students with unsatisfactory exam results or parents who want their children to secure a place at prestigious universities. Scammers claim to have "connections" or "family ties" within the education sector, capable of interfering with and "raising" exam scores or securing a place at a desired university for exorbitant fees, potentially reaching hundreds of millions of dong. Of course, these are just empty promises to deceive and extort money.

Impersonating education officials and school staff to "assist" with application and review processes: This is not a new tactic, but it still traps many people. Scammers call, send SMS messages, Zalo messages, and emails, posing as officials from the Department of Education and Training, admissions staff from universities and colleges, or even homeroom teachers. They then announce "urgent" errors in the application, threaten that the application may be rejected, and request the immediate provision of the applicant's Citizen ID number, bank OTP code, or a sum of money as a "quick processing fee" or "application completion fee." More sophisticatedly, these scammers also send fake links mimicking the websites of the Ministry of Education and Training or schools, requesting logins to collect personal information.

Equip yourself with the skills to avoid becoming a victim of high-tech scams.

In the context of increasingly sophisticated and unpredictable cybercrime, each individual needs to become the "first line of defense" to protect themselves. Cybersecurity is not only the responsibility of authorities, but also a vital survival skill in the digital age.

To avoid becoming victims of high-tech scams during the high school graduation exam season in particular and other exams in general, the Police Department advises: Parents and students should carefully verify all information. All official announcements related to the high school graduation exam are widely published on the Ministry of Education and Training's electronic portal, the websites of local Departments of Education and Training, or official fan pages with a blue checkmark. Upon receiving any suspicious information, contact your homeroom teacher, the school's administration, or the hotline of the education authorities directly for verification.

Parents and students should not provide their Citizen ID number, date of birth, phone number, home address, bank account information, or OTP code to anyone via phone, text message, or email without verifying their identity and purpose. Exercise extreme caution when clicking on unfamiliar links and do not download attachments from unknown sources.

Never transfer money to strangers or for unclear requests, regardless of the reason related to "completing paperwork," "making a deposit to reserve a spot," or "purchasing VIP materials."

If you detect or suspect any signs of fraud, or unfortunately become a victim, parents/students should calmly gather all evidence (text messages, phone numbers, bank account information of the perpetrator, transaction history, etc.) and report it immediately to the nearest police station for timely assistance.

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