Hi everyone,
I wanted to share a recent experience that might help fellow Indian applicants avoid falling into a trap.
Shortly after registering on the official ETS portal, I received an email from
Code:
register4toefl[at]etsindia[dot]org
. The domain looked official — especially since visiting
etsindia[dot]org redirected me to
ets[dot]org, which initially gave it legitimacy in my eyes.
The email claimed to offer a
special benefit, and I was asked to initiate a
WhatsApp chat to receive it. After a brief conversation, I got a call from someone named
Prabhat S. (last name partially withheld for privacy). He told me I’d need to
pay a certain amount to a private company account, after which I’d receive a
16-digit code that would reduce the TOEFL fee to zero during registration on the ETS portal.
I didn’t proceed with the payment. Instead, the unusual request made me scrutinize the setup more closely, and I realized this was a
cleverly disguised fraud not linked to ETS. It was clearly designed to exploit students by impersonating a legitimate service.
While I’ve chosen not to take legal action right now due to my ongoing prep, I wanted to put this warning out so others can stay alert. Please don’t trust unofficial emails or pay fees to unknown accounts.
Stay safe, and all the best with your TOEFL and GMAT preparation!
Happy to share redacted screenshots via DM if anyone is interested.