Earning a college degree can help individuals find work and earn more money during their lifetime. That has resulted in boom in practices such as earning a diploma courtesy of online education or students buying novelty diplomas for inspiration. The desire for the right credentials has also given birth to illegal practices including diploma mills; recently a China based diploma mill was busted for selling fake degrees to those in need.
According to the report from Spanish-language website People's Daily, nine suspects were are in custody for perpetrating fraud by running a diploma mill and producing fake certificates from phony American universities. "Students" were fraudulently sold what were marketed as legitimate diplomas even though they were not required to attend any classes to earn their degrees. Some victims paid around $10k for the phony degrees. If the organization simply marketed their wares as novelties to be used for pleasure, fraud would not be an issue.
This is not the first time the business of selling fake credentials has made the news. Novelty diploma seller PhonyDiploma.com has previously reported on the issue where some prominent officials were caught lying about their past and using fake credentials to back up their story. Some examples the novelty diploma site brought to light include:
- Charles Abell, Assistant Secretary of Defense: Listed a master's degree from Columbus University on his resume. The school was found to be an unaccredited university classified as a diploma mill.
- Patricia Walker, Deputy Assistant Secretary: Listed a master's degree from Pacific Western on her resume. The school was found to be non-accredited university classified as a diploma mill.
- Rene Drouin, Advisory Committee for the Departments of Treasury and Education: His resume includes two phony diplomas from diploma mills.
As online education has evolved to be a popular way to earn real college degrees and other diplomas, more people are at risk of mistaking unaccredited universities for the real McCoy. Individuals concerned that the school they want to enroll in may not be a legitimate way to earn a high school diploma, bachelor's degree or graduate degree can follow some simple steps to ensure that their school passes muster including:
- Choose Established Universities: The process is as easy as checking that is school is on this list produced by The Department of Education.
- Take Classes for Credit: Some of the world's most prestigious schools, including the Massachusetts School of Technology offers free courses online for anyone to use. While the education is invaluable, the process will not result in earning credits that can be applied to a degree.
- Take it Seriously: Once the right university has been selected, individuals should take the education process seriously. Just because the education process does not involve a traditional classroom setting, does not make it any less real or challenging.
Not all diplomas that can be bought online are created equally. Individuals who are looking for novelty diplomas to be used as inspiration do not have to spend a fortune for the fake certificate. PhonyDiploma.com is the web's premiere site for quality, novelty diplomas. We are not a diploma mill, but a legitimate way for individuals to get a copy of the certification they need.