New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) Assuring an error-free re-exam on June 21, National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Abhishek Singh on Tuesday cautioned NEET-UG 2026 aspirants and their parents against social media rackets that lure aspiring doctors by offering to sell ‘leaked paper’ in exchange for hefty amounts of money.

He said the temporary suspension of the Telegram application till June 22 is a conscious step to check misleading claims and fake news. He also advised students to focus on their preparations without being distracted by scammers’ offers to sell ‘leaked paper’.

In a video released on NTA’s social media handle on X, the DG said, “Scammers on Telegram were running two rackets targeting you: Channels demanding Rs 14,000 to Rs 25,000 – some even Rs 10 lakh – claiming they’ll send you the re-exam paper. They won’t. There is no leaked paper for the re-exam. The money is gone the moment you transfer it. Your admit card and WhatsApp number, if you sent them, become the tools they use to scam the next student.”

Abhishek Singh added that the scammers on Telegram were also circulating fake “proof” videos showing chats from before the exam.

“The trick: on Telegram, whoever runs a channel can edit any old message AND change what’s inside it, while the date on the message stays the same. So a message edited on the 4th can be made to look exactly like it was sent on the 1st,” he said.

He cautioned that the same trick is likely to be tried after the re-test on June 21.

Shedding light on the earlier misuse of this feature, he told IANS, “Telegram also had a feature where one could change the content of an earlier post without altering the timestamp. For example, on May 3, we found a Telegram channel saying that they had access to the main question paper on May 1, showing videos of a chat in which the actual question paper was shown. Upon investigation, we found that the video was altered by using the actual question paper of a student in Kashmir’s Anantnag.”

“The same trick will be tried again after 21st June. Don’t fall for it. Don’t forward it. Don’t pay anyone. Focus on your prep – you’ve earned this. Trust only http://nta.ac.in and verified NTA handles. Tell your friends – especially anyone anxious enough to be tempted. Report any scam: National Cyber-Crime Helpline 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in,” said the NTA D-G.

He said the reason for cancelling the May 3 NEET-UG 2026 was that nobody violates the sanctity of the exam, and nobody should be able to take away the rights of hard-working students preparing for the medical examination.

The NTA DG said, “The Indian Air Force is helping us in the logistics because the time that we had for conducting the examination was very short, and it required ensuring that we compress the time it takes to move the papers. Normally, it takes around 5 months to conduct this examination. This time, we are doing it within 37 days…”

In a message to NEET aspirants, the DG said, “Your hard work is what will get you through this exam. Not a Telegram channel. We’re on your side.”

–IANS

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