Vietnam and China student data scams exploit university admissions season

Vietnam police warned parents that online fraudsters are offering to "boost scores", guarantee entry to top schools or process admissions for a fee during the 2026 high‑school graduation and university entrance period. The scammers pose as officials with connections to education authorities, use social media, Zalo and Telegram groups, and demand deposits, processing fees or "thank‑you" payments. Victims who transfer money are later cut off, risking both financial loss and legal consequences.

In China, police dismantled a large‑scale data‑selling ring that had leaked more than 790,000 student records after the exam season. The stolen files contained full personal details, school enrolments, class information, teachers, and exam scores. A parent recounted that callers knew "the name, the school, the class, the homeroom teacher, and even each subject score" of his ninth‑grader son. The investigation traced the leak to insiders within schools, including a deputy principal and recruitment staff, who supplied the data to brokerage centres that used it for mass recruitment calls.