In video: matriculation exam in mathematics in the era of the Corona virus (photo: Reuven Castro)
May 2022, 15:00, Tel Aviv: Three students very calmly enter the school, where a matriculation exam was held in 5 math units.
While the rest of their friends looked stressed, some of them were even biting their nails, the three didn't bat an eyelid, sat down on the chairs and began vigorously filling in the answers.
None of them prepared for the exam, and their average grades during the year were only 55-67.
So how is it that all three got a score above 90?
Exactly the same way that thousands of other students in Israel succeed in exams, without any preparation, without devoting even a single second to studying for it.
It is not just about matriculation examinees who manage to excel in the exams without any prior preparation.
According to the evidence, the method has permeated the middle school levels in recent years, and it crosses cities, the length and breadth of Israel.
Technology pushed aside the purity of the exams, and what until a few years ago was limited to isolated cases, became a flood of cheating children.
Everything is perfected.
Button camera and transmitter (Photo: Yehats)
The technological revolution that is sweeping the world has not overlooked the field of listening, broadcasting and photography.
Over the years these electronic components have become smaller, more efficient and of much higher quality.
And yes, also for cheaper.
If in the past, access to high-end equipment that was mainly used by intelligence agencies was beyond the reach of the public, then today, with a few clicks of a button, and after waiting a few hours, a messenger with detective equipment will arrive at your home.
It could be used by you for recording and covert listening for business needs or to intercept strangers, but certainly also for educational purposes, or more precisely, to successfully pass tests.
The method is relatively simple, and does not require skill, technological understanding, or any other ability, except financial, which we will get to later: before the student enters the school, he puts an earphone in his ear, or rather removes it.
From the outside, it cannot be noticed as it is pushed deep into the ear.
The teacher who passes by, or even looks directly into his ear - will not see it, unless he shines into the ear with a flashlight used by doctors.
At the same time, the boy places inside his underwear an electronic transmitter the size of a credit card, which transmits using a certain technology: some work on an external SIM card, others connect to Bluetooth or a phone.
Another accessory that is required is a button camera for reading text.
Now, forget everything you knew or thought about hidden cameras.
It is an eyepiece the size of a pin that sits in a case the diameter of a tiny button.
It looks like a stenciled button for all intents and purposes, no way the naked eye would know it's not an innocent item of clothing.
And its qualities - no less than amazing: the camera shoots in 1080P FHD quality.
The combination of these technological means is a 'winner' - the camera and the transmitter transmit the visuals, that is, the questions of the exam to a person outside the school who knows the answers.
Most often it will be a scholar or student who needs to supplement his income.
She provides the answers to the student who receives them through the headset.
Simple, easy, and especially in light of the minimization of the elements - very difficult to grasp.
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Admittedly, this is not a new method, but unlike what was done a few years ago, its scope has expanded significantly.
How much?
"A lot of kids have come up with this method and it's a difficult problem," a high school teacher we spoke with tells us, "we even gave them a lesson that deals with the purity of the exams, and the whole moral aspect of the matter."
By the way, the phenomenon does not completely stop at the doors of the high schools, but has also penetrated into the various faculties.
A student from Bar Ilan University says, "It runs strong, and it works great. Many, many of my friends use this method. The only problem is that it costs money, but my time is also valuable."
"My whole future depends on my grades in matriculation and it's important enough for me to pay a lot of money for it that I worked hard for," the 11th grade student in Givatayim tells us.
His friend prefers spending time with his partner, than studying for a history test: "What doesn't interest me the most are the reasons for the fall of the Weimar Republic after the First World War. What exactly will it do for me? Leave you alone, I'll pay and someone else will study in my place. Haim Devash."
An earpiece that can only be located with a doctor's flashlight (Photo: Yehats)
The aforementioned equipment can now be purchased in professional stores that deal in the supply of spy equipment.
There is no law that prohibits the sale of the equipment and in any case they do not find out before the sale what it is intended for.
"We do point out to them that the equipment must not be used illegally, but that ends our responsibility," the owner of a site for relevant technological equipment clarifies to us, "the majority also do not physically come to the store but purchase the equipment online, so the only person who comes into physical contact with them is the courier ".
The price for such a kit is currently about NIS 3,000 on average, which of course can be reused.
At the same time, it turns out that in recent years a market for renting equipment has developed in Israel.
"The price of renting is 8-10 thousand shekels," explains a source who deals in the field, "Thank God, God sends livelihood and salvation. There is work, there is blessing."
And of course it's not only a local market: a short stroll on the Internet brings up a series of options for purchasing such equipment abroad. For example, on this website, or for example also on Amazon. We also found a series of offers for the purchase of these devices in the Israeli market, including a hidden headset.
The phenomenon is, of course, well known to the Israel Police, which focuses its attention and energy on preventing or investigating crimes and other offenses, unless it is a significant organization.
Thus, for example, a few months ago, an investigation was opened after a complaint was filed by the Ministry of Education that identified repeated patterns of answers and mistakes in hundreds of tests performed in various professions.
"Upon receiving the complaint, North District cybercrime investigators began conducting cyber activity in order to identify the operators of the network. During the activity, the police officers 'registered' for the service and during the last round of matriculation exams, they cracked the system," her statement reads.
The investigation revealed that for a sum of NIS 100 per exam, which was paid at the postal bank to the messengers of the organization, nicknamed "Nabil Al Asmar", the members of the network would pass the solutions to the examinees through WhatsApp groups.
The members of the network instructed the test-takers to turn off their cell phones and sometimes also their earphones in order to be able to receive the answers to the exam in real time
The phenomenon of copying and cheating also worries the National Center for Examinations and Assessment, which announced about a year ago that it is formulating new procedures that will allow the tightening of sanctions against examinees caught violating the purity of the exam and copying.
Among other things, it was announced that examinees who copied would be prevented from taking the test again for a year, along with disciplinary and legal action against invigilators caught assisting in copying.
Also, the center intends to file civil tort claims against anyone who is caught illegally distributing the exam.
For this purpose, contact was made with the Israel Police.
The response of the Ministry of Education
The Ministry of Education stated in response: "The Ministry takes a series of overt and covert measures, some of them in cooperation and with the support of the Israel Police, in order to locate copies, ensure the purity of the exams and bring about the filing of charges against those responsible. Maintaining the purity of the exams is an educational, moral and civic task of the utmost importance, which requires the responsibility of the examinees and the entire system."
It is further stated that "in the case in question, the ministry is aware of this, but these are only isolated cases, which are usually characterized by the transmission of centralized answers through groups on social networks, after paying to register for the groups. These days, indictments are filed against the people who participated in the crime after the ministry filed a complaint with the police, as well as students Those caught using phones, or in possession of phones, were severely punished."
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