ROME—Seven people have been arrested and 117 are under investigation after paying others to take their exams.

Investigators of the Potenza Public Prosecutors office, PM Vincenzo Montemurro and Giorgio Guadagno, are looking into rigged exams concerning students who are attending the Galotta Study Center.

According to the Prosecution, the clients of the center paid women 10 euros an hour to take the exams remotely using a software called Iperius. The software allowed the students to be guaranteed the passing qualifications to become a social health worker.

The seven students arrested have been placed on house arrest and their titles and qualifications have been revoked.

The student’s phones were then wiretapped which revealed the communication between the clients of the center and the women utilizing the software. The text messages were included in a 300-page report by the investigating judge, Salvatore Pignata.

Their messages included the comforting words of the women saying, “We will take care of the exam,” and the student’s nervous responses, “And what if it doesn’t go well?” The conversation continues, “No, we will take care of the exam,” and the student’s response, “Oh, ok!”

Those taking the exam also expressed the difficulty of the test and the importance that if one does not pass, they will have to pay for the certification again, “precisely because there are seven modules, and they are not simple! From the third module onwards, they are very very complicated so those who fail then… are forced to pay for the certification again. To eliminate this, we will take care of it”.