Graft probe reveals alleged IT examination paper swindle
2001-8-15
The ICAC yesterday (Tuesday) arrested an alleged swindler who was said to have sold bogus Microsoft Professional Examinations (MPE) papers on the Internet to make profits.
The ICAC earlier received a corruption complaint alleging that some staff of Microsoft authorized examination centres in Hong Kong might have leaked examination questions for bribes.
Investigations revealed that the 36-year-old arrestee has been operating a website "ez2mcse.tripod.com" on the Internet, which was registered overseas.
He had claimed on the website that he was a teacher of a computer school, and had the latest questions for MPE ready for sale at a price of US$35 to US$450 for each set.
The Microsoft Professional Examinations have been recognised as professional qualifications in the information technology field.
Investigations revealed that the examination questions had been sent to the buyers in computer discs through local mail.
In the past few months, ICAC officers had posed as buyers and purchased four sets of examination papers, containing a total of 500 questions, from the website.
The suspect was arrested yesterday at his residence after he posted a disc containing the examination questions in the post office.
Two computers and a bulk of postal receipts were seized from the arrestee's residence, where the business was believed to have run.
It was alleged that in the past two years, the suspect had received about 60 orders from both overseas and locally, and made profits totalling about HK$72,000 from the transactions.
Microsoft Hong Kong Office has confirmed that the website was not authorised by the company, and that the papers sold were not genuine Microsoft examination questions.
The arrestee had been released on ICAC bail. ICAC's inquiries into the corruption allegation is continuing.
The ICAC earlier received a corruption complaint alleging that some staff of Microsoft authorized examination centres in Hong Kong might have leaked examination questions for bribes.
Investigations revealed that the 36-year-old arrestee has been operating a website "ez2mcse.tripod.com" on the Internet, which was registered overseas.
He had claimed on the website that he was a teacher of a computer school, and had the latest questions for MPE ready for sale at a price of US$35 to US$450 for each set.
The Microsoft Professional Examinations have been recognised as professional qualifications in the information technology field.
Investigations revealed that the examination questions had been sent to the buyers in computer discs through local mail.
In the past few months, ICAC officers had posed as buyers and purchased four sets of examination papers, containing a total of 500 questions, from the website.
The suspect was arrested yesterday at his residence after he posted a disc containing the examination questions in the post office.
Two computers and a bulk of postal receipts were seized from the arrestee's residence, where the business was believed to have run.
It was alleged that in the past two years, the suspect had received about 60 orders from both overseas and locally, and made profits totalling about HK$72,000 from the transactions.
Microsoft Hong Kong Office has confirmed that the website was not authorised by the company, and that the papers sold were not genuine Microsoft examination questions.
The arrestee had been released on ICAC bail. ICAC's inquiries into the corruption allegation is continuing.