‘It’s like a digital whack-a-mole’: Examinations board chief warns scammers selling fake GCSE documents a growing problem as tests cost up to £900
- Pupils are paying hundreds of pounds for GCSE and A-Level exams on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat
Social media scammers are making a big business selling fake exams to ‘desperate’ students, an investigation has found.
Pupils are spending hundreds of pounds on GCSE and A-Level exams on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.
But after sending the payment, the fraudulent accounts often returned nothing and refused to reply to any more messages.
Review boards routinely scour social media for fraudulent profiles and ask platforms to remove them.
They warn that it’s a growing problem, likening it to a “digital mole hit,” with deleted accounts reappearing under different names.
A GCSE student recounted how his peers were paying “ridiculous prices” for exams, revealing how his peers had paid up to £900.
Pupils are spending hundreds of pounds on GCSE and A-Level exams on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. But after sending the payment, fraudulent accounts often returned nothing and refused to reply to any further messages (File Image)
A GCSE student told how his peers were paying “ridiculous prices” for exams, revealing how his peers had paid up to £900 (File Image)
She told BBC News: ‘The people who shop on these accounts are your most desperate students. ‘These accounts are actually very smart and cunning in what they do – they take advantage of this vulnerability.
‘You wouldn’t meet a single student this entire year who hasn’t heard of these beads. They are everywhere.’
The 15-year-old received a quote of £500 on Instagram for an exam, adding that “anywhere north” of that price was the typical amount.
She didn’t buy it. Another student said last year they were tricked into paying £60 on a social media account for a GCSE maths exam.
They were left feeling ‘hurt and upset’ when they received nothing and were locked out by the account.
In the BBC News investigation, journalists posed as GCSE students and contacted two separate Instagram accounts claiming to sell exams.
They quoted £120 for an AQA geography paper and £150 for an AQA English paper. Both asked to be paid through the Cash App payment app and when they were blocked asked to be paid with a store gift card.
After accepting the payment, the user behind the most expensive paper, called “AQA documents”, did not send the document, ignored follow-up messages, and then deleted his account.
Examination boards said scammers were manipulating previous exams by changing the date and text on the cover to try to mislead students.
They have no power to shut down accounts, so they must report them to social media platforms, often claiming copyright infringement.
AQA analyst Bill Hewison said: ‘A few weeks ago we saw an account claiming to sell one of our exams for £7.50.
‘Right at the other end of the scale, you have thousands of pounds [being quoted] – two, three, four thousand pounds.
The chief executive of the Joint Council for Qualifications, Margaret Farragher, said: “As soon as they try to shut down one of these fake accounts, another is opened.”
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, said that the sale of future tests or answer sheets was not allowed and that such content would be removed from the platform.
TikTok said all accounts “promoting fraud or scams” have been removed.
Snapchat said users should report suspicious activity so that action can be taken.
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Source: tit.edu.vn
