Overview
- The IBCA invalidated all 803 results and revoked TOEIC eligibility for five years after identifying applicants using identical or near-identical addresses from May 2023 to June 2025.
- Investigators traced the scheme to a 27-year-old Kyoto University graduate student arrested in May for attempting a substitute exam with a concealed microphone and smart glasses.
- Police say the suspect received messages in Chinese offering payment and that a Chinese-linked organization recruited stand-in test-takers.
- Since June, the IBCA has required suspicious applicants to submit ID documents and confirm that smartphones are powered off with disabled eyewear functions before exams.
- The association is exploring mobile-signal detection equipment at test venues and will probe for other fraudulent applications beyond the 803 cases.