Education Scams (Phony Degrees, Part 2)

(Consumer Safety & Awareness article: Part 39)

Phony or purchased degrees are far more pervasive than most people think. They usually make the headlines only when a medical practitioner or educator is revealed to have no true degree.

BlogingStocks.com interviewed Barry Minkow, whose company, ZZZZ Best (pronounced "Zee Best") appeared to be an immensely successful carpet-cleaning company but collapsed in 1987, costing investors an estimated $100 million. He was convicted of fraud and several other offenses and sentenced to 25 years in prison, but served only seven years, getting a probationary release from prison in 1995. The interview in part stated:

“Minkow released the names of seven public company executives caught lying about their degrees. The former head of the fraud known as ZZZZ Best Carpet Cleaning has been working hard to verify the credentials of 358 public company executives and directors. The names put through the ringer were generally in industries he suspected were filled with "hype." Upon identifying executives whose degrees weren't listed in a large database of college graduates, schools were contacted directly to verify if the executives earned degrees or not.

”I've been investigating corporate fraud for over a decade, and have generally found that when there's a small fraud being committed by an upper-level executive, chances are greater there's a much larger fraud being perpetrated at the same time. My evidence is only anecdotal, but I've become a believer based on what I've witnessed -- that small frauds are often only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to wrongdoing by upper management.”

A search on the internet for doctors, dentists, and other professionals who, after obtaining jobs using offshore college degrees and eventually causing injury of death due to their lack of proper education turns up over 140,000 hits.

Burleson Consulting, a major computer assistance company, has seen hundreds of people applying for positions in their own company with false or improper degrees, and thousands in corporations they have assisted. They report that, “Verifying a college degree is especially problematic for foreigners, some of whom count on the Human Resource department’s inability to speak a foreign tongue. Many HR departments automatically discard resumes with foreign degrees because some diploma mills set-up a fake registrar’s office to verify graduation from phantom schools.”

The FTC has found that, “Diploma mills may claim to be “accredited.” Colleges and universities accredited by legitimate organizations undergo a rigorous review of the quality of their educational programs. Although many diploma mills claim to be “accredited,” their accreditation is from a bogus, but official-sounding agency that they themselves created.”

They recommend that you look out for sound-alike names. Some diploma mills take on names that are very similar to well-known colleges or universities. A “dot edu” Web address is no guarantee of legitimacy, either. Keep in mind that some diploma mills use credible-sounding foreign names. Researching the legitimacy of a foreign school can be a challenge, but is clearly worth the time. If you’re having a tough time checking out a particular school, call the registrar of a local college or university and ask if it would accept transfer credits from the school you are considering.”

You can use the Internet to check if a school is accredited by a legitimate organization at the database of accredited academic institutions posted by the U.S. Department of Education at www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation

You can also easily spot a phony school through these signs:

No Studies, No Exams — Get a Degree for Your Experience. Diploma mills grant degrees for “work or life experience” alone. Accredited colleges may give a few credits for specific experience pertinent to a degree program, but not an entire degree.

No Attendance. Legitimate colleges or universities, including online schools, require substantial course work.

Flat Fee. Many diploma mills charge on a per-degree basis. Legitimate colleges charge by the credit, course, or semester, not a flat fee for an entire degree.
No Waiting. Operations that guarantee a degree in a few days, weeks, or even months aren’t legitimate. If an ad promises that you can earn a degree very quickly, it’s probably a diploma mill.

Click Here To Order Now! Some diploma mills push themselves through aggressive sales tactics. Accredited colleges don’t use spam or high-pressure telemarketing to market themselves. Some diploma mills also advertise in newspapers, magazines, and on the Web.

If the school caught your attention through an unsolicited email or pop-up ad, it may be a diploma mill. Legitimate institutions, including distance learning programs, won’t advertise through spam or pop-ups.