Overview
- Police identified a 39-year-old Iraqi as the alleged broker and arrested a 22-year-old during an exam, with both now in pre-trial detention on judicial orders.
- Clients allegedly paid €2,500 to €6,000 per arranged test, and fluent stand-ins were recruited chiefly from North Rhine–Westphalia.
- Stand-ins presented documents showing their photos paired with clients’ personal data, prompting examiners to issue genuine certificates.
- Searches in Nuremberg and Hamm yielded numerous data carriers, forged residence titles and test materials, large amounts of cash and a small quantity of drugs.
- Authorities say the investigation has expanded nationwide, December checks found ten stand-ins taking an exam, and a high double-digit number of additional cases is anticipated.