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Degrees of Deception

qualifications are better understood

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Session Overview

• What’s on offer

• What documents to request

• Fake Documents

• Certification Procedures

• Degree Mills

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Fraud Worldwide

China: Fake documents widely available e.g. back alley press

USA: Varying state legislation means that degree mills can often freely operate

Both India and Pakistan have extensive lists of fake universities operating.

Corruption is a major problem in Russia, facilitating educational fraud

Nigeria and Cameroon suffer from an endemic traffic in fraudulent documents

Many Caribbean islands do not have full accreditation programmes particularly for medical universities

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The novelty angle

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Don’t waste your experiences

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Keep up with the Jones’s

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View before you buy

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What documents to request

Documents that you should request include:

• Final Certificate

• Transcripts / Academic Records

• Diploma Supplement (Bologna degrees)

• Certified translations if the documents are not in English

• Evidence of name changes if appropriate

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What documents to request

• Bachelor Degree Certificate - China

Degree Programme

Serial Number

Bachelor Degree

Certified copy

NamePhoto

Bachelor

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What documents to request

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What documents to request – Russia

University Stamp / Ministry of Education

Holder’s name

Institution

Dyplom

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What documents to request - Pakistan

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Excuses, excuses…

Country Claim Reasonable Y/N

1 India I studied in a different region to where I live. I have to collect the degree certificate in person and they can take a year or two to issue and so all I have is my provisional degree certificate.

2 Nigeria I will have to request that my university send an official transcript directly to you as they do this to stop fraud.

3 Spain It takes up to two years to gain the final degree certificate as the degrees must be signed in Madrid.

4 Ghana I do not have official WAEC results statement. The results are only available online.

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What documents to request

Country Claim Reasonable Y/N

1 India I studied in a different region to where I live. I have to collect the degree certificate in person and they can take a year or two to issue and so all I have is my provisional degree certificate.

YES / MAYBE

2 Nigeria I will have to request that my university send an official transcript directly to you as they do this to stop fraud.

3 Spain It takes up to two years to gain the final degree certificate as the degrees must be signed in Madrid.

4 Ghana I do not have official WAEC results statement. The results are only available online.

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What documents to request

Country Claim Reasonable Y/N

1 India I studied in a different region to where I live. I have to collect the degree certificate in person and they can take a year or two to issue and so all I have is my provisional degree certificate.

YES / MAYBE

2 Nigeria I will have to request that my university send an official transcript directly to you as they do this to stop fraud.

Yes

3 Spain It takes up to two years to gain the final degree certificate as the degrees must be signed in Madrid.

4 Ghana I do not have official WAEC results statement. The results are only available online.

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What documents to request

Country Claim Reasonable Y/N

1 India I studied in a different region to where I live. I have to collect the degree certificate in person and they can take a year or two to issue and so all I have is my provisional degree certificate.

YES / MAYBE

2 Nigeria I will have to request that my university send an official transcript directly to you as they do this to stop fraud.

Yes

3 Spain It takes up to two years to gain the final degree certificate as the degrees must be signed in Madrid.

YES

4 Ghana I do not have official WAEC results statement. The results are only available online.

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What documents to request

Country Claim Reasonable Y/N

1 India I studied in a different region to where I live. I have to collect the degree certificate in person and they can take a year or two to issue and so all I have is my provisional degree certificate.

YES / MAYBE

2 Nigeria I will have to request that my university send an official transcript directly to you as they do this to stop fraud.

Yes

3 Spain It takes up to two years to gain the final degree certificate as the degrees must be signed in Madrid.

YES

4 Ghana I do not have official WAEC results statement. The results are only available online.

No

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Translations

What to request:

• Certified translation

• Copy of original language documents

Words of warning:

• Has the degree title been translated into Bachelor or Master?

• Use of the word Doctor

• University, Institute, School, College and Academy

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Document Appearance

• The variety of fonts used

• Lack of official stamps

• Paper quality

• Misalignment

• Size and shape

• Handwriting

• Scanned signatures

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Linguistic features and other possible signs

• Informal language• Unlikely degree titles• Spelling errors• Inconsistent terminology• Incorrect translations into English

• Discordant dates and duration• Awarding bodies• Logos incorrect or in the wrong position

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Is there anything strange about this certificate?

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That’s not right

Signatures Scanned in

Cape of Good Hope (Hoop is Afrikaans)

If a document is original then there is no need to state it.

Crest is incorrect and misaligned

Generally there are too many fonts

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Do you think this is genuine?

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Some things we’ve noticed

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Fraudulent Documents

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Fraudulent documents

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Fraudulent documents

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When in doubt…

• Ask for – original certificates in the original language

– previous qualifications (esp. entry qualification)

• Establish internal image bank– quick way to familiarise with the format of documents

– effective reference point

• Request transcripts/other relevant documents – in sealed envelopes

– posted to your offices directly from the institution concerned

– or contact the institution directly yourself

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Degree Mills

“Diploma Mill: An Institution of Higher education operating without supervision of a state or professional agency and granting diplomas which are either fraudulent or because of the lack of proper standards worthless.”

Webster’s Third New International Dictionary

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Degree Mills

The following are common features to be on the look out for:

• Strong emphasis on fee levels and payment plans. Often very low prices

• Short duration of courses – days or weeks

• Long list of accreditation agencies and affiliated bodies

• Offer to accredit life experience

• Links such as “Order Now” and “free evaluation forms” are often found at the lower end of the market

• Unlikely degree titles

• No contact address

• Contact details that differ from claimed location of the institution

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The “Institution”

*As identified by the Oregon State Department of Education

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AUA – The Brochure

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AUA – the Reality

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Accreditation

Choices open to a successful degree mill:

• Lie

• Pay Bribes

• Gain accreditation from a body that does not provide accreditation

• Invent an accreditation agency

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An Accreditation Mill

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Degree Mills

St Regis University – Key points

• Liberia did not have a fully functioning Ministry of Education at the time

• The Liberian Government has subsequently issued a disclaimer distancing themselves from claims of accreditation by St Regis and other universities.

• Not an accredited US institution• It is not likely that in war-torn Liberia overseas students would be

able to study

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St. Regis – UK?

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Fighting Fraud

• Training and awareness

• Contact the institutions

• Request as many documents as you can

• Increased security measures

• Verification systems