If you’re considering getting a fake degree, don’t do it. It’s illegal and could result in fines or prison time.
It is a violation of the mail and wire fraud laws to buy fake degrees. In some industries such as healthcare and aviation where it could put life at risk.
The scandal of the Diploma Mill
The world of diploma mills is a billion-dollar industry according to experts selling fake degrees around the globe. These phony credentials devalue the legitimate degrees people spend years and thousands of dollars acquiring, and could result in personal and professional tragedy. If professionals like doctors and engineers don’t have the proper training and certified, the public is exposed to risk. Even with the attention of UNESCO and the U.S. Department of Education as well as the FBI, Federal Trade Commission, and a host of other watchdogs, it is difficult to eliminate the fake qualifications in business.
Verifile is a screening firm based in London, says that the US is one of the most sought-after places for degree mills to operate. In reality, America has the dubious honor of being among the most popular locations for degree mills operating. With attractive websites and names like Harvey University, Barkley University and Nixon University, these bogus schools give their “U.S.” campuses the appearance of being legitimate.
With the aid of a professional investigative journalist, it’s not difficult to identify fakes. In a recent Marketplace test, Peter Ma Lack posed as an applicant for a PhD in biblical counseling from Almeda University and was quickly certified without submitting a resume. It’s hard to locate these mills. However they did exist. US Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York has convicted and sentenced a Pakistani executive Axact to 21 months of prison and fines of $5 million.
Credential fraud examples
The amount of diploma mills has grown as more people are using the internet to get their education. This is a problem that affects people, businesses and even governments. The issue also impacts the reputation of institutions and poses an enormous threat to academic integrity. Admissions staff, universities and other institutions must be on guard and ingenuous to find long-lasting solutions. The problem is based on bribery, fake academic documents, false athletic credentials, and fake transcripts.
Remember that there aren’t all diploma mills that offer the same level of service. The top diploma mills give legitimate degrees at a fair price, and are typically recognized by reputable organizations. On the other hand, the least reliable ones make fake degrees for a premium and then make use of them to scam students and companies. In a few cases, they even resell the fake degrees to mills.
One of the latest high-profile cases involves the U.S. Secret Service, which uncovered a scam whereby an employee of the government bought a bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. diploma from the Wyoming diploma mill. The Secret Service stated that the person was using her credentials to access classified information.
Muwafiq al-Ruwaili was an ex-Saudi Arabian Consultative Council member who has launched a personal campaign to fight the practice of degree fraud. He scrutinizes LinkedIn profiles and other sources to find individuals with fake qualifications. He has identified fakes on Twitter with the hashtag the hashtag #hlkwny (halkuni is an Arabic expression for anger, which is a reference to “they destroyed me”) He hopes that a public listing will aid in stopping the habit.
Fake degrees from universities
In the age of credentialism, an impressive-sounding university degree is a status image. False degrees can take away the value of all the hard work genuine students and professionals have invested in. Therefore, it is essential to be vigilant and beware of falling for a scam involving fake diplomas. If you are worried about the authenticity of your diploma There are a variety of ways to check its credibility. Certain companies provide digital track and trace options that ensure that your degree is real. Moreover, these solutions offer a simple and secure way to verify your degree for institutions or employers. But, it is important to keep in mind that a perfect security for documents isn’t attainable. These security measures can stop tampering but there are still numerous ways to circumvent them.
Axact is one such company which is believed to have sold fake diplomas for over $600,000. The website of Axact appeared authentic, and used professional school websites that had names like Harvey University, Barkley University and Nixon University to give them the Ivy League feel. The company also utilized the identical fonts and print formats as real universities.
However, with the right techniques and tips you can quickly identify fake degrees from universities. You can contact the governing body for details about the university or use an online tool to check the degree.
Academic integrity issues
The global proliferation of diploma mills and academic fraud is a significant danger to the quality of higher education. These frauds could devalue genuine credentials, expose students and their families to financial fraud risk, and could even put at risk the lives of certain professionals such as engineering or medicine. They also undermine the public’s trust in higher education, and can damage the reputation of institutions. This is especially important for international students who are at risk of academic fraud, and more likely than other students to be targeted by degree mills.
Universities must be on guard to ensure transparency and adopt strict steps to avoid issues with academic integrity. The Monash University fake certificate scandal illustrates the importance of universities staying aware and taking action whenever they discover suspicious activity.
Plagiarism and academic misconduct are grave dangers to academic research and institutions. They can also be a threat to the integrity of. According to the Institute for Scientific Integrity, plagiarism occurs when an individual uses another person’s words without any credit or citation. Some forms of academic misconduct can even be considered to be criminal.
Fake degrees aren’t illegal under federal law but they do violate the laws against fraud-by-wire and law against mail fraud. Ezell notes that he knows of only two degree buyers that have been prosecuted in accordance with these laws. Additionally, faked degree can lead to penal penalties both criminal and civil for the purchaser as well as loss of employment or revocation of licenses.
