Fake degrees can be purchased for a fraction of the cost of a legitimate college degree. The service providers provide authentic-looking degrees using templated designs.
The consequences of fake education credentials can be far-reaching. Employers should use advanced verification solutions to protect themselves against resume fraud. This includes educating people on how to spot bogus qualifications.
Diploma Mills
Diploma mills operate in a wide range of guises. Some are blatant and offer consumers a degree for cash only, while others may require some work but fail to provide the college-level course work that would be required by legitimate universities. Many of these operations are run by individuals who claim to be accredited, but in reality have created their own bogus accrediting agencies and operate without any official oversight.
Those who run diploma mills often target vulnerable populations. These include recent high school graduates, those who have been dissatisfied with their academic experience, and those who have been unable to find employment due to lack of qualifications. They also target those in search of an unfair shortcut to career advancement or higher earnings.
These operations often operate offshore, where laws and regulations are less strict. They also make use of fake university names and IP addresses to mask their real location. While some states have attempted to crack down on these scams, the scope of diploma mill activity remains unabated.
The onus of preventing degree fraud falls to those who are at the front lines of credential evaluation and enforcement, whether at universities or employers. Fortunately, there are some telltale signs of these operations that can help protect consumers. While the sophistication of these operations has risen, it is still possible to identify them if you know what to look for.
Counterfeit Degrees
It’s a billion-pound industry that’s growing and causing real problems for employers. The rise of fake degree mills has seen people lie on their CVs in order to get a job. The resurgence of these businesses is alarming and needs to be addressed.
Fake diploma makers and verification services are often able to mimic the appearance of real certificates. This allows them to fool many employment screening and verification companies into thinking they are genuine and find more information on https://baoxinviec.com/. These forgeries can include a variety of details such as the logo, crest, signatory, stamps, holograms and forms of words used by the university.
These bogus qualifications are purchased for several reasons. Some may find it difficult to afford to study for a full-length course of study, others could have failed to achieve the grades required for entry into a particular degree programme or simply wanted to boost their social status with a faux qualification.
Whether it’s for career advancement or to enhance their social standing, the number of people who are prepared to buy a fake qualification is disturbing. It’s a major problem that’s being exacerbated by the availability of cheap online software and the ease with which these fraudulent documents can be produced. It also undermines the validity of authentic academic achievement and could put lives at risk in high-risk industries such as healthcare, engineering and banking.
Education Verification Services
One of the reasons it is important to screen candidates thoroughly before hiring is that, in some cases, candidates make misrepresentations regarding their education. This is especially common for applicants who seek jobs in healthcare careers such as nursing where fraudulent credentials and degrees from diploma mills proliferate online.
While it may be possible for employers to verify a candidate’s educational history by contacting the institutions themselves, this can be a time-consuming process and a potential violation of privacy regulations such as those established by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This is why many employers rely on third-party CRAs to conduct education verifications quickly and professionally for them.
An education verification confirms the degree, diploma or GED certificate reported by a candidate as well as the dates of attendance, graduation date and major field of study. This allows employers to verify the qualifications of their candidates to ensure they have the knowledge and skills needed to perform their job.
An experienced CRA can also help spot fraudulent credentials that are likely to be forged. For example, if an applicant claims to have earned a bachelor’s degree in a field that typically takes three or more years to complete, this could be a sign of a diploma mill. The CRA can also confirm whether the institution of higher learning that claimed to have conferred the degree exists and is accredited by a recognized agency.
Fake Degree Fraud
In recent years, the rise of fake degree networks has been fueled by rising demand for formal qualifications and the ease with which these documents can be obtained. The global fake degree industry undermines the credibility of universities, erodes the value of real degrees and ultimately deprives genuine students and employers of legitimate credentials.
Despite the fact that it is illegal to possess a fake university degree, there are many thousands of people who do so around the world. In the US alone, it is estimated that there are more than 100,000 people who have purchased degrees from bogus universities. The fake universities are often based in the developing world and operate under a variety of names. They have created a range of websites that look very similar to those of authentic universities. The fake colleges offer a wide variety of degrees in almost every discipline.
The fake diplomas are very difficult to detect, even for an experienced human resources professional. A number of different factors can indicate a fake document, including misspellings and altered fonts. It is also important to check that the signatures on the certificate are genuine. In addition, it is a good idea to confirm that the degree is actually valid by checking with the university itself.
While the nursing diploma scandal and a new scholarly book are helping to draw attention to degree fraud, it remains an underappreciated problem in higher education. The solution lies in widespread education for recruiters and the provision of advanced verification solutions to ensure that genuine students and employers are not being duped.
Categories: Career
