Posts Tagged ‘fake diploma’

By Vicky Phillips, Chief Education Analyst | February 02, 2009

Diploma mills, also known as degree mills, are bogus universities that sell college diplomas—the piece of paper itself—rather than the educational experience. Diploma mills literally crank out paper diplomas to anyone who pays the requested “tuition.”
Don’t be fooled by online degree mills.

Many maintain impressive-looking websites. All of them advertise heavily online.
To protect yourself, you need to look behind the curtain. In other words, flip past the flashy graphics on the fancy website for the name of the school’s accreditation agency. Then, take the time to verify that the agency is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the U.S. Department of Education. If you remain suspicious, consult GetEducated.com’s Diploma Mill Police for a free accreditation report on your chosen institution.

Top 10 Signs You Are Dealing With an Online College Degree Mill


(1) Your chosen university is not accredited.
Degree mills love to use official sounding terms to impress potential students. These terms often sound good, yet mean little in terms of educational quality. Be wary of these terms and phrases: “authenticated,” “verifiable,” “licensed,” “internationally approved,”” “notarized,” “recognized by the Pope” and “accredited by UNESCO.”


(2) Your chosen university is accredited … but NOT by an agency recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the U.S. Department of Education.

The majority of Internet degree mills are “accredited.” The problem is that they are accredited by bogus agencies that they themselves have created.

These bogus accrediting agencies—also known as accreditation mills—often have prestigious sounding names. They often claim to be “worldwide” or “international” agencies and therefore superior to any single agency operating in the United States. Contact CHEA for a list of the names of valid college accreditors in the USA.

(3) Admission criteria consist entirely of possession of a valid Visa or MasterCard.

Previous academic record, grade point average and test scores are deemed irrelevant. Telemarketers and spam emails promise “you cannot be turned down” for a degree.

(4) You are offered a college degree based on a “review” of your faxed resume.

Credit for career experience is a valid option at many universities that deal with adult learners. But the process of evaluating career experience for college credit is complex. No valid distance learning university in the U.S. will award a graduate degree (master’s or doctorate) based solely on a review of career experience.

(5) You are promised a diploma within 30 days of application regardless of your status upon entry.

Degree mills are in the business of selling paper. Ergo, they’ll get that piece of paper to you as quickly as possible.

(6) You are promised a degree in exchange for a lump sum—typically $2,000 for an undergraduate degree and $3,000 for a graduate degree.

Universities do not commonly charge flat fees. They typically charge per credit or per course tuition and fees.

(7) Your prospective online university has multiple complaints on file.

For trustworthy factual accreditation reports, visit GetEducated’s Diploma Mill Police.

(8) Your online “admission counselor” assures you that international online universities can’t be accredited in the United States by CHEA-recognized agencies.

This is a lie.

(9)  The school’s website either lists no faculty or lists faculty who have attended schools accredited by bogus agencies.

(10) The university offers online degrees almost exclusively to U.S. citizens but is conveniently located in a foreign country, quite often a tiny nation that lacks any system of academic accreditation.

Alternatively, there has been a rise in the number of scams where the “university” claims to be located in the U.S., yet specializes in “evaluating” and “awarding” degrees based on an “international assessment process” specially designed to help immigrants wishing to enter the U.S.

Eight Washington State Patrol troopers who used diplomas from fake schools to get pay raises will be suspended, but not fired. Friday’s announcement prompted one local legislator to complain that the troopers are getting a slap on the wrist, but another said the agency’s own oversight is at fault.

Sgt. Chris Sweet, who is assigned to the Kelso detachment, is among the eight troopers who will be disciplined.

The State Patrol reversed itself Friday and decided to modify an agency recommendation from August that the troopers be fired.

State Patrol spokesman Jeff DeVere said additional investigation revealed there was no clear intent by the troopers to deceive the agency into higher pay because they did not know the schools were unaccredited. But, he said, the troopers certainly showed poor judgment in submitting the diplomas.

“It was very clear in the decision-makers’ minds that there was no intent (to defraud), but there was poor judgment. That is why the contemplated termination was changed to suspension,” DeVere said Friday.

The troopers have been on paid administrative leave since October of last year and will return to work next week. The troopers have paid the state back the raises they received as a result of submitting bogus degrees, and their pay while on leave did not include those raises, DeVere said.

“These guys have not been working for a year. We have to ensure their training is up-to-date, that they are still qualified to drive and carry weapons,” DeVere said.

He was not certain when the suspensions, which range from three to 10 days without pay, will be served.

Sweet, commander of the Kelso detachment, is a 17-year veteran of the state patrol who was honored in 1998 as Trooper of the Year. In 2006, the Kelso unit was named Detachment of the Year. He received a five-day suspension, DeVere reported. Sweet could not immediately be reached for comment Friday through a message left with the local WSP detachment.

The state patrol investigation began after federal agents shut down a diploma mill in Spokane. In February, the Thurston County prosecutor decided not to file criminal charges.

The prosecutor said that even though the officers admitted to collecting extra pay as a result of their phony degrees, investigators found no intent to defraud the government.

Troopers can boost their pay 2 percent by earning a two-year degree or 4 percent with a four-year degree, and DeVere said the troopers believed they were pursuing legitimate college degrees.

Still, the investigation may raise questions about whether the troopers should have known the degrees were illegitimate.

DeVere said the degrees required no coursework or typical academic effort. Rather, applicants reported life experiences and prior on-the-job training. The schools evaluated the resume and told applicants what degree they qualified for and how much a diploma would cost, DeVere said.

Sweet, DeVere said, obtained a degree from Almeda University, which advertises itself as offering a “life experience degree program.” It’s Web page asserts that “life experience is the greatest teacher.”

Given the ease of the process, DeVere was asked, shouldn’t the troopers have known the diplomas were bogus?

“We certainly did everything we could to determine what the facts were,” he answered. “We spent a tremendous amount of time to do just that. It was determined that the diplomas turned in were not valid. We also spent a lot of time determining whether we had intent (to defraud) on the employees part, or poor judgment.

“Intent could lead to integrity issues, and integrity issues, in our mind, you can’t fix them. Mistakes, or poor judgement — we can rehabilitate for those in most circumstances. These diplomas made it through our agency review process. They (the troopers) were paid. The department has partial responsibility for this. We have since fixed our review process to make sure this does not occur again. “Employees still have responsibilities. They should review this kind of thing. If it is too good to be true, they need to look at it more closely.”

State Rep. Dean Takko, D-Longview, said “I have a hard time believing that, among eight people, no one knew that (the degrees) weren’t kosher.”

Though he didn’t think the troopers should lose their careers over the incident, he said the several days suspension amounts “to a slap on the wrist.”

State Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, said a key question in the case is whether the WSP does an adequate job determining whether degrees are legitimate.

“Was it the troopers trying to defraud the state, or poor policy procedures on behalf the agency?” Orcutt asked “ If the blame is on the agency, should the officer be suspended at all?”

If their supervisors approved the raises after reviewing the degrees, Orcutt said, “it’s kind of hard to hold them (the troopers) accountable.”

In addition to Sweet, the other troopers who will be suspended are Trooper Dennis Tardiff of Seattle, Trooper Spike Unruh, Trooper Dan Mann of Spokane, and Sgt. Robert Brusseau, Sgt. Jason Linn, Trooper Gabriel Olson and Trooper Brian Ensley, both of Vancouver. In addition to the eight, two other troopers who were accused have resigned.

By Andre Stepankowsky

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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