If you’re a credential evaluator or employer, fake degrees could lead to liabilities. Finding out that an employee has a fake degree could damage their reputation and make them susceptible to criminal charges.
Although many who purchase fake degrees do so to fill in gaps on their resumes, others use them to fulfill personal reasons. This article will explore the problem of Fake Degree certificates and ways to prevent them.
Ethics
If it is appropriate to use fake degrees to advance your career is an ethical dilemma that every individual must weigh carefully. A legitimate education from a university can be incredibly costly and requires a lot of time. But, it can also provide valuable knowledge and abilities that will be useful in the future. It could be deceiving to get a fake degree from a university that isn’t recognized. This can result in a loss in credibility, as well as legal repercussions like fines and jail time.
The recent Stanford University transcript fraud scandal demonstrated the extent to which diploma mills may deceive students. In the Stanford scam, a student paid a third-party to create a false transcript. Then, she submitted it to the university. The incident has caused a lot of people to question the legitimacy of university degrees, and the quality of the verification processes at universities.
The prevalence of these bogus documents can be partly attributed to the rising tuition costs and the economic challenges of higher education for some individuals. As such, the demand for a less expensive alternative to traditional higher education is causing individuals to search for fraudulent certificates. The fake nature of diplomas such as these can harm the reputation of institutions as well as students and employers. This can lead to a loss of trust and may threaten the safety of those working in fields such as engineering or medicine, as mentioned in the article by Orim & Glendinning (2023). In addition, purchasing fake credentials is waste of money as well as an act of deceit that could have serious consequences in the workplace.
Credential Fraud
The issue of fraudulent credentials affects numerous industries and sectors. The most common types of fraudulent credentials include fake transcripts, fake degrees and fake certificates. Credential fraud has serious consequences for the institutions that issue credentials as well as the individuals https://lambangnhanh.com/ who obtain them. It could also undermine trust in higher education, erode the credibility of academic professions, as well as contaminate the employment process.
Of the numerous scams, there are a few that stand out. Diploma mills, for instance are known for selling fake degrees from universities which do not require academic or other work. The fake universities usually have names like Columbiana or Barkley and rely on high-pressure sales tactics to suck in unwary students.
Fraud involving forged or counterfeit professional certificates and licenses is another type of fraud. In the medical sector, fake nursing certificates were utilized to permit individuals to pass nursing licensing examinations administered by the state without having prior training or experience. In law enforcement, forged or fake police credentials could result in unqualified people being employed for critical positions that put people at risk.
There are methods to lessen the risk of credential fraud. Implementing strong methods of verification to detect fraudulent credentials is an important first step. In addition employers and institutions should provide staff with the proper instruction to recognize fraudulent credentials.
Diploma Mills
Diploma mills are among the most dangerous types of fraud. These bogus colleges offer fake degrees for a cost. They are hard to eradicate, despite being monitored by UNESCO and other organisations.
Most degree mills provide degrees that are made up of life experiences or academic work far from the standard of an accredited university or college. This is because these credentials are not genuine causes deceit to the person who purchases these degrees for personal usage or to fill out applications to jobs and also leads to losing credibility for the organizations that hire these individuals.
Often, diploma mills are online and are able to use names very similar to the names of renowned universities. A few of the degrees they provide are recognized by accreditation. The U.S. Department of Education doesn’t recognize the accreditation that they issue, which is a significant issue for students who are considering it.
Certain students attend these schools to quickly advance their careers, whereas others do so out of curiosity or for financial gain. Whatever the motivation, these individuals are guilty of committing a crime and need to be accountable. We at Scoutlogic we are privileged to be a small part of the effort to fight against these crimes by offering educational verification services for employers and potential employers.
Degree Verification
Third parties, such as employers, credit agencies, or graduate schools may ask students to verify their status as an enrolled student or graduate to them. These verification letters can be issued through the Office of Admissions and Records using official transcript paper which bears the seal and signature of the Registrar. The National Student Clearinghouse offers a DegreeVerify service which is more convenient. This service is available 24/7 online day, and it provides the exact same information as the official transcript. It is free for current students and alumni, however there is a cost to mail the transcript via FedEx.
The online application requires the student’s name, term of enrollment, the major, and the date of graduation expected. The online application also asks the student to provide their email address, and whether they’d like to utilize DocuSign to sign the document. If the student doesn’t want to sign, they can choose to “Finish Later,” which saves the request and allows them to revisit it.
The National Student Clearinghouse also allows schools to outsource enrollment verification requirements to the service, saving time and resources for their staff. The services of the Clearinghouse help institutions to comply with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, as well as the state law and policies of the institution regarding the release of student information to third organizations. The Clearinghouse’s services are a cost-effective solution that is secure and provides rapid responses.