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A new report published this week shed new light on the international fake degree fraud. Alarmingly, the UK was found to be Europe’s fake university capital. The Report indicates that 271 degree mills have already been identified in the UK and many more still are under investigation. With 60 percent of the degree mills operating in the UK, the country have the dubious distinction of leading Europe in offering up these fraudulent entities that give students a short-circuited university degree and the capability to misrepresent themselves to employers.
Top 10 European locations of the ‘degree con’ by country
United Kingdom 271
Netherlands 30
Belgium 27
Ireland 16
Switzerland 16
Italy 14
Germany 13
Austria 11
Spain 9
France 7
The world’s biggest concentration of fake universities is in the USA, the Report exposes 810 bogus institutions, making the US the center of the world’s bogus university scam.
Top 10 United States locations of the ‘diploma con’ by state
California 134
Hawaii 94
Washington 87
Florida 57
Texas 53
New York 44
Louisiana 39
Illinois 29
Nevada 29
Arizona 28
The groundbreaking report is the result of an 18-month international research project into diploma and accreditation mills – fake Universities and Colleges. The research was carried out by Verifile’s research team with the support of Cambridge University and the East of England Development Agency. Alan Contreras of Oregon’s Office of Degree Authorization, one of the international leaders aggressively challenging fake universities, calls the Accredibase Report: “…an excellent job assembling facts about the degree mill problem in the world today. In the murky world of bogus credentials and dubious evaluators, The Accredibase Report provides an example of how research in this field ought to be done.”
The Report discusses how these bogus Universities and Colleges con students out of their money and supply fake degrees that deceive employers into offering jobs, sometimes with alarming or fatal consequences. Eyal Ben Cohen stated: “We have so far identified 1,762 fake institutions worldwide, and we are still investigating a further 1,545 currently filed as ‘suspicious’ before publishing them on the ‘Accredibase’ database.“
While many organizations dismiss fake degrees as a minor problem this report establishes that it is a much larger issue than expected. The stark reality is that some fake qualifications can be highly dangerous and have already resulted in tragic consequences.
The Report elaborates on how the ‘con’ has become more sophisticated with fake universities setting up fake accreditation bodies in an attempt to make their qualifications look genuine. Emphasizing the magnitude of the problem, Eyal Ben Cohen commented: “We have so far discovered 134 unrecognised accreditation bodies, and we are still investigating a further 81. The problem of unaccredited institutions and bogus colleges is a large and very real one facing employers, background screening firms, government agencies and universities around the world.”
A spokesperson at the Department of Business Innovation and Skills commented: "Tackling the serious issue of bogus degrees at its source remains a challenge. The Department welcomes any innovative approach that further helps to disrupt the activities of bogus education providers, whilst safeguarding legitimate education and the public."
“For prospective employers”, advises Eyal Ben Cohen, “asking to see original certificates will not tell whether an institution is genuine since these institutions not only provide their ‘student’ with official-looking certificates but also provide verification services where employers and background screening companies can call to ‘verify’ if the student has the degree they claim! What is required is an accreditation check to see if the institution itself is genuine before even considering the validity of the certificate.”
Notes:
Accredibase has set up a global database of unaccredited institutions and unrecognised accrediting bodies that brings together information from government education departments and law enforcing agencies worldwide.
To download a copy of the Report please go to http://link removed by admin
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