Posts Tagged ‘fake degree’

Con artists and fraudsters are ready and willing to take your money.

Whether it’s a new Internet scam or an old standby newly repackaged, the Connecticut Better Business Bureau and the state Department of Consumer Protection advise consumers to beware. Read the fine print, check credentials and remember what your mother told you: If it sounds too good to be true, it may be a scam.

Got A Minute? Get A Degree!

With a scarcity of jobs, many people are trying to improve their skills or educational credentials. But several state residents have been duped out of hundreds of dollars by online schools that aren’t accredited by the U.S. Department of Education.

In an effort to obtain a high-school diploma, an East Haven woman was relieved of several hundred dollars by an online diploma mill, said Howard Schwartz, a spokesman for the Connecticut chapter of the BBB. When the woman applied for a job, she was told the diploma wasn’t acceptable, Schwartz said.

“She was embarrassed. But she was also angry and asking, ‘How can this type of thing happen? How can a school like this legally operate?’” Schwartz said.

She has since obtained her high-school diploma from an accredited school, he said.

While many online educational programs and schools are legitimate, the Better Business Bureau reports that four online firms that offer high-school and college-level diplomas have been the target of 117 consumer complaints in 40 states, including Connecticut:

• Belfordhighschool.com and Belforduniversity.org. Consumers report that they paid from $674 to $1,400 for everything from high-school diplomas to doctorate degrees. But when they presented their degrees to military recruiters and college-admission boards, their credentials were rejected. The websites claim students can earn their chosen degree by completing an online test or relating “life experiences.”

• Jeffersonhighschoolonline.com and vencerhighschoolonline.com. Consumers complained that the schools’ diplomas were not accepted by legitimate sources. Students reported paying more than $200 for their diplomas.

Beware of degree programs that require very little work or that issue diplomas based on “life experience,” and prices that are based on the completed degree rather than per credit hour, said Paulette Scarpetti, president of the Connecticut BBB.

For a list of accredited post-secondary schools compiled by the U.S. Department of Education, go to ope.ed.gov/accreditation.

Quick And Easy!

Unless the phrase “quick and easy” relates to a recipe for buttered toast, beware! These types of schemes can involve everything from earning vocational credentials online to working at home with the promise of a hefty paycheck. Several state residents have fallen victim to the come-on, Scarpetti said.

“Make $1,000 a week addressing envelopes at home!” This old scam has been updated to include making money sending e-mail or messages on Twitter, Scarpetti said.

Typically, complainants report receiving unsolicited e-mails that read: “Twitter Workers Needed ASAP … As Seen on USA Today, CNN and ABC,” or “Tweet at Home and earn hundreds of dollars a day.”

In one case, a victim reported that an e-mail had a link to website www.EasyTweetProfits.com, “which offers a free seven-day trial for an instructional CD-ROM for $1.95 to cover shipping,” Scarpetti said.

There’s just one hitch: The “trial period” begins the day the CD is ordered, and if you don’t cancel within seven days, the company bills your credit card $47 a month, she said. Similar websites and blogs, including www.make-money-on-twitter.com, offer similar “trials” that are accompanied by unwanted, revolving charges to your credit card.

Beware of job offers that advertise big returns for very little effort, the Better Business Bureau advises.

In this economy, marked by leagues of job-seekers, employment scams are rampant. The Connecticut BBB and other chapters around the country say consumers have been duped by online classified ads involving job-placement firms that guarantee clients a job — once they pay an upfront fee, sometimes hundreds of dollars. Unfortunately, they take the money and run.

Legitimate employment agencies and headhunters “do not charge upfront fees to help find a job but are instead paid by companies … or by the job hunter once employment is secured,” the BBB notes.

In another twist, thieves place online ads posing as real businesses. In this scam, job-seekers are directed to a legitimate-looking website and are asked to upload their résumés Once submitted, the job-seeker is told he has been hired and must provide his social security number or bank account information to complete the “hiring process.” By the time you realize what’s transpired, your identity has been stolen.

Pay close attention to unsolicited e-mail from supposed employers, Scarpetti advises. Even if the company’s name appears familiar, do not click on any links within the correspondence until you’ve thoroughly vetted the company and verified the e-mail originated from a legitimate source.

Chimney Sweeps Who Sweep Your Wallet

Winter is just around the corner, and there’s nothing like a warm, cozy fire. You know it, and con artists know it. Scams around the state involving chimney sweeping and repairs are rampant this time of year, said Jerry Farrell Jr., the state’s consumer protection commissioner.

Here’s how to avoid getting “cleaned out,” Farrell said:

• A professional chimney sweep should clean your fireplace and chimney and check for defects for less than $200.

• Don’t hire a chimney sweep who shows up at your door uninvited.

• Be suspicious if a chimney sweep offers you an extremely low price. He may be trolling for repair work. While chimney sweeping is not considered home improvement, repairs — including liner or mortar replacement or repairing a chimney cap — are covered under the state’s Home Improvement Law. Anyone doing the work must be registered as a home-improvement contractor.

Ask to see his registration certificate, the Department of Consumer Protection advises.

• Before approving repairs, contact a local building official, and find out of the project requires a building permit, Farrell said.

Avoid unsolicited contractors, added Schwartz. “Choose them yourself.”

Copyright © 2009, The Hartford Courant

By JANICE PODSADA

In todays economy,  job applicants are using every tactic available to beat the competition and get that open job. One tactic, most often used, is listing college degrees, diplomas and certifications on their resumes that they either don’t have or that they received from a diploma mill. InfoCheckUSA.net provides USA and International education verifications and finds that 30% of education information on resumes are mis-leading. These numbers are alarming and cause companies thousands of dollars as a result of making a bad hiring decision, not to mention issues with liability in such fields as healthcare and engineering.

Companies should verify degrees and diplomas as well as any listed certifications prior to hiring any job candidate. InfoCheckUSA deals directly with the educational institutions student record department to provide complete and accurate record verification.

These record checks are cost effective ($14.95) compared to the costs of making a bad hire.

“Diploma mill credentials devalue the legitimate degrees earned by millions of individuals through hard work, persistence and achievement.” –U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Maine

Degrees and diplomas issued by diploma mills are frequently used for fraudulent purposes, such as obtaining employment, promotions, raises, or bonuses on false pretenses. (DiplomaMillNews.com)

FAKE Degrees in the News:

The Diploma Mills keep on churning to everyone’s loss

In the past few years many young people aspiring to obtain a university degree have been duped by glamorous and flashy web-based educational advertisements. After taking the bait, they find themselves entangled in legal, professional and ethical dilemmas arising from an affiliation with a bogus institution of higher education, better known as a “diploma mill”. Last week, the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research issued a statement warning prospective undergraduate and graduate students looking into academic study abroad against falling victim to such fraudulent practices. (thenational.ae)

In the Bears’ Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning, John and Mariah Bear report that there are more than 700 diploma mills that generate more than $500 million annually.

Diploma Mill Degrees For Firefighters Cost City $50,000

A recent Sacramento County grand jury report takes fire officials to task for lax oversight that allowed some area firefighters to boost their pay by claiming college degrees from so-called “diploma mills.” The report, titled “Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire,” stems from a 2007 investigation by The Bee’s Andrew McIntosh. McIntosh found that in 2005 and early 2006, 16 capital city firefighters applied for and got education wage incentive raises using degrees they had purchased from online diploma mills. It cost the city about $50,000. (firefightingnews.com)

Accused fake doctor pleads not guilty to 73 charges

Dean Alan Willoughby appeared in District Court with lawyer Jim Lowry, right, for charges of practicing medicine without a license in Lexington, Ky. Dean Alan Willoughby, 44, was indicted by a Fayette County jury last week on 73 counts of practicing medicine without a license and third-degree sexual abuse. Willoughby was initially charged with three counts of practicing medicine without a license. In 1994, Willoughby was arrested in Columbia, S.C., for performing genital and rectal exams on men and women. (kentucky.com)

Woman Represented By Phony Lawyer Appeals Case

A woman convicted of trying to hire someone to kill her son’s father is appealing her case because the man who represented her has been found guilty of impersonating a lawyer. Gwen Bergman was convicted in May of two federal murder-for-hire felonies. Her attorney is asking the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver to set aside her conviction or return the case to district court so her sentence can be reduced. (thedenverchannel.com)

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