Blatant Fake Degrees

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Banthony, Apr 15, 2002.

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  1. Banthony

    Banthony New Member

    Hello:

    I'm new here so I hope what I post has some relevance to this group.

    My forte is writing, and recently myself and several others have had some issues with this "publishing agent":

    http://newwritersguild.com

    You can read about them here:

    http://www.fictionfactor.com/Scams/newwritersguild.html

    How he conducts his publishing business is of no real concern to this board of course, but I recently discovered his side business:

    http://newwritersguild.com/diplomas.html

    I'm aware that copyrights and trademarks protect universities from websites selling fake versions of their degrees, but are there not other legal ramifications to this type of activity? To whom may I direct my concerns - States Attorney General's office, or parhaps the universites legal departments? Any suggestions will be appreciated!

    I do have the website backed up to disk in case it disappears following any scrutiny, and would be happy to forward it to the appropriate agency!

    Thank you, Brian
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 15, 2002
  2. Banthony

    Banthony New Member

    I should also like to mention that a simple "cease and desist" will not satisfy me in this case, why should anyone engaged in criminal activity be allowed to keep their ill-gotten gains. Its Prosecution / Lawsuit or bust, I'm afraid! And yes I harbor lifelong grudges.
     
  3. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    It appears the url is registered to a party in Georgia. Perhaps authorities there might be interested.

    None of the schools listed seem to be primarily DL. That would make this thread OT, no?

    Or is this all a "red herring"? :rolleyes:
     
  4. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member

    I would consider the whole topic important and interesting enough to keep on existing here although it´s not primarily DL, don´t you think so?

    Greets,
    Trigger
     
  5. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    There is the dilemma John Bear (and, later, Mariah Bear) faced regarding the publishing of contact information regarding degree mills. John did so in earlier editions, but stopped when, as he put it, there just didn't seem to be any legitimate reason for doing so. The information regarding these operations was sufficient to explain the degree mill phenomenon; it wasn't necessary to direct readers to the mills.

    I've been reading Bears' Guides since 1980's 6th edition. In them, the author(s) often referred to "degree replacement" services. (We all know the story about John's fake law diploma.) But they were adamant about not publishing contact information for these particularly damaging businesses. Well, I don't particularly care for it here, either. It could be construed as free advertising. We've seen over the years more than a bit of "discussion" about fake schools--and related businesses like these--where it became clear that the original poster started a thread about a particular mill just to publicize it. Free advertising, if you will.

    I'm not saying this is the reason behind "banthony's" post--I have no idea why he posted it. But the effect is the same regardless of the intent. Just as there used to be no better advertising for a book than to have it "banned in Boston," a scathing expose of a degree mill or replacement service will certainly create demand where none existed. Or, at least, a source to satisfy someone's unfulfilled desire to commit fraud.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 15, 2002
  6. tcnixon

    tcnixon Active Member

    Oooh, replacement GED certificates? Now that's the one that likely gets the "Idiot of the Year" award. Since they're issued by the government through the American Council on Education:

    http://www.acenet.edu/calec/ged/home.html

    you might find ACE and their lawyers particularly interested in such a service. Contact information is as follows:


    Tel: (202) 939-9475
    Tel: (202) 939-9490
    E-mail: ([email protected])



    Tom Nixon
     
  7. David Appleyard

    David Appleyard New Member

    I agree. Why advertise what can easily be found by searching the Internet. If the site was to simply provide a re-print service, who cares, but it is obvious that they are marketing to a different group. The site, IMHO, uses the standard term many of "their kind" do, "for entertainment purposes only". If it were a legitimate service, there is no need for this type of disclaimer.

    If I truly had concerns about the type of business a certain party was conducting, I'd call the appropriate regulator body immediately. I wonder why Banthony didn't take the initiative first and post second?

    Hmm, I too have concerns that this may be a means of free advertising.
     
  8. Banthony

    Banthony New Member

    Thanks for the input - and to the naysayers all I can say is that I labeled this site a scam, even posted a link to site that brings to light this sites scammish activity. If that’s called "free advertising" then its the type of advertising I don't think most sites will want.

    As far as bringing it to the "appropriate regulator body immediately" WHO in a case like this would that be? Federal, State, Local? Not one regulatory body in my area would care, its not their jurisdiction, he would have to be stealing thousands before they would even think of starting an investigation.

    If there is a single legal body that handles this type of crime OR single government agency I can go to I will, I have already phoned the Attorney General. But as I suspected the Attorney General's position is one of "let us contact them and politely inquire into their business". That’s like walking up to a drug dealer and saying, "See that cop? He's thinking of coming over here and seeing what you are up to..."

    So what I will do is contact each and every university listed on their site that they offer "replacement" erm fake degrees for and alert them to the trademark infringement, then the Georgia Attorney General's office, and as tcnixon has suggested, ACE.

    If any others have suggestions on appropriate agencies to contact please list them here - I'll try them all. You may find this unbelievable, but very few legal bodies seem to care about this sites activity, so apparently its o.k. to scam people over the internet!

    Sorry if I sound bitter, but I HAVE tried to report them to no avail. And if labeling a site a SCAM is considered free advertising I most have missed something in journalism 101.

    Thanks again, Brian
     
  9. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    It is when you give the link. Again, I'm not assuming your intent--and I think intent is irrelevant. But you effectively give them publicity AND another potential hit on a search engine.

    Also, what they're doing might be legal. Certain actions regarding them might even be considered actionable. I'm not an attorney, but I'd have one handy before going very far. I'm sure they do!:)
     

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