Skip to main content

Learning resources

Fake IELTS certificates and IELTS scams in Vietnam: what IDP has warned about, and how to check

If you are preparing for IELTS in Vietnam you have probably seen the adverts: a certificate without the exam, a person to sit the test for you, the questions in advance. IDP Vietnam has published notices about exactly these offers. This page walks through what those notices say, how to tell a real IDP message from a fake one, and what to do if someone has already approached you.
EnglishTiếng Việt

Key facts

  • IDP Vietnam says offers to buy an IELTS certificate are fraud, and lists proxy test-taking, papers before test day, fake score reports and "changing scores" among them.
  • Scammers use look-alike email addresses; IDP Vietnam mailboxes use only the @idp.com domain.
  • IDP names three registration routes: an IDP office, its official registration page, or an official partner.
  • Scammers may also approach candidates at test locations and prep schools.
  • Serious cheating can mean cancelled results and a five-year ban (IDP Vietnam).

What the IDP Vietnam notices say

The main notice (published in Vietnamese on IDP's Vietnam site) says IDP received reports of people impersonating IDP's registration units, then using look-alike domains to "confirm" a registration and collect the exam fee. Others advertise buying IELTS. It lists what the fraudsters usually offer:

  • a service to take the test for you;
  • exam questions before test day;
  • a score report or a fake IELTS certificate without sitting the test;
  • a claim that they can access the list of candidates and change IELTS scores;
  • changes to results in the online results verification system.

The notice adds that these adverts spread through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, messages, forums and websites, and that, to build trust, the fraudsters approach candidates directly at test locations or at exam-prep centres. Its conclusion is unambiguous: all of these behaviours, and buying an IELTS certificate, are fraud. A second IDP Vietnam notice about cheating services says the same thing from the cheating side.

How to read an email that claims to be from IDP

This is where most people lose money, because the message arrives after you have genuinely started a registration. The notice gives two addresses scammers have used, no-reply@idp-hcm.com and no-reply@idphanoi.com. Look closely: they resemble IDP names, but the domain is not idp.com. The real IDP Vietnam centre mailboxes listed in the notice are ielts.hcmc@idp.com (south), ielts.hanoi@idp.com (north) and ielts.danang@idp.com (central), and IDP says its Vietnam mailboxes use only the @idp.com domain.

Our advice, built on that: read the part after the @ sign, not the display name; never pay through a link in a message; open the registration page yourself.

Three official ways to register

  1. In person at an IDP office. IDP's notice points to its list of official test locations.
  2. On IDP's official registration page (the date-and-location wizard on IDP's booking site, which the notice links).
  3. Through an official IDP partner, from the list on IDP Vietnam's partners page.

If you are booking with the British Council instead, go to the British Council Vietnam website directly. We could not load its fraud alert when this page was checked, so we do not summarise it here.

If someone approaches you

This happens at test locations and prep centres, and it works because the person looks like part of the system. Use a short script:

  1. Say no and leave the conversation. Do not give your name, passport or phone number.
  2. Do not transfer a "deposit". Fraud often has a second payment waiting.
  3. Write down the details: name used, phone, account, advert.
  4. Report it. IDP's global guidance asks you to report immediately to the test centre or to security.ielts@idp.com, and ielts.org has a confidential form for security concerns.

What happens to people who buy

IDP Vietnam says serious cheating can lead to cancelled results and a five-year ban, and refusal of the person's results by IELTS-recognising organisations worldwide for the stated period. IDP's registration terms add that results can be withheld or cancelled even after being issued if an irregularity is found, and that details of malpractice may be shared with recognising organisations. Those are IDP's terms for IDP bookings; read the terms of the booking you actually make.

Can a certificate be verified?

By organisations, yes: universities, employers and authorities use the IELTS Results Service, a registered account with multi-factor authentication. Candidates see their own result in their account, using passport or ID number plus candidate number, and share it electronically. We did not find a public "type a number and see the result" tool, so avoid sites that claim to be one. If you are an employer or a school, ask for the result to be shared electronically instead of accepting a photocopy.

If you want to improve Speaking without shortcuts

Everything above is about the shortcut. The slower road for Speaking is recording yourself, checking Part 2 against a timer (our Part 2 timer is free) and fixing one habit at a time. What to fix first explains how to choose that habit. The Vietnamese version of this page is here.

Questions people ask

Is buying an IELTS certificate in Vietnam ever legal or safe?

No. IDP Vietnam says all such offers are scams, and serious cheating can mean cancelled results and a five-year ban.

Which email addresses does IDP Vietnam use?

Its notice lists ielts.hcmc@idp.com, ielts.hanoi@idp.com and ielts.danang@idp.com, and says IDP Vietnam mailboxes use only the @idp.com domain. Check the provider for current details.

What are the official ways to register with IDP in Vietnam?

In person at an IDP office, on IDP's official registration page, or through an official IDP partner listed on the IDP Vietnam partners page.

A stranger approached me outside a test centre. What should I do?

Do not pay or give details. IDP says scammers also approach candidates at test locations and prep schools. Report it to the centre or to security.ielts@idp.com.

Can I verify a certificate myself?

Not publicly. Organisations that accept IELTS use the IELTS Results Service. Candidates see their own result in their account and share it electronically.

If you want a real speaking check

You can try the free IELTS Speaking app (two free attempts, adults 18+) at the end of this page. If you want a person to listen, the Live Speaking Baseline is a short live session with Mr. Jay and a written plan, or message on Zalo. We do not sell results, certificates or test papers, and no teacher can honestly promise you a band.

Jurassic English™ is independent of British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. This page is a teacher's plain-language guide built from the official pages listed above, not official IELTS guidance, and not legal or immigration advice. Any practice estimate we give for Speaking is not an official IELTS score. Our lessons are for adults aged 18 and over.

Read next

Practice screen of the IELTS Speaking app

Free IELTS Speaking practiceAdults 18+

Practise with an AI examiner. 2 free attempts.

Your report quotes your own words and shows the one change that matters next. Practice only, not an official score.

Try it freeSee IELTS Speaking packs →

Want a person to listen? 30-minute Live Speaking Check · 250.000₫ (adults 18+), or the Live Speaking Baseline.