The Chinese government has warned the public to be alert to the sale of fake college entrance exam papers through the Internet and mobile phones after a string of fraud cases were cracked.

In a joint announcement, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Security said that questions and answers for this year's college entrance exams, which fall on June 7th and 8th this year, are national secrets before they are authorized to be issued. They are now under the strict control of relevant government departments.

Examinees and their parents should keep alert to avoid being cheated out of their money, according to the announcement.

Stealing, divulging and selling college entrance exam questions and answers, selling false college entrance exam papers and disturbing the exams in any way will all be severely punished, the announcement said.

Police in east China's Fujian Province on May 31 arrested three people responsible for selling fake papers on-line and confiscated their bank deposit books, credit cards and computers.

According to their confessions, they have been spreading false information via the Internet since April, saying that they have this year's college entrance exam papers. They pretended to be officials of education departments receiving calls and selling exam papers at 1,000 yuan a subject.

Policemen in east China's Shandong Province also arrested a criminal suspect who spread false information via the Internet saying that he could send college entrance exam answers just 45 minutes after the exam started. The case is under further investigation.

Sources from the Ministry of Education said all the people who participated in designing the college entrance exam questions have signed a written pledge, vowing never to divulge what they knew. Breaking the contract can lead to three to seven years imprisonment.

(Xinhua News Agency June 3, 2006)