Doctored Doctorates

fake degrees from a real school

http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/doctored-doctorates/articleshow/63649008.cms

 

This kind of thing has been seen in Canada - and I wouldn't doubt it's happened in many countries. A few years back, fake University Of Toronto degrees were sold for around $3,000, with all the right paper, seals, numbers, signatures etc. They were said to be the work of a criminal ring whose members were largely of Chinese origin. One such scam reported here: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2008/12/07/phony_degree_scam_exposed.html

IIRC, there have been similar occurrences, perpetrated by others.

 

There is also a fairly long-standing variant in Russia, as I understand. First, the fake diploma is good - all the correct details, proper-looking seals, every "znak" and "nauk" in the right place etc. Next, a complicit insider at the (real) university will arrange to add the fake-diploma recipient's name and details to the school's official records. Not only does your diploma pass all the checks, but your "degree" VERIFIES 100%! That makes them the best fakes in the business! Cost is "up there" though. Last time I looked, $7,500 to $10,000.

 

Something similar happend in Germany about ten years ago. There, however, the school's records were doctored first and then the "student" got a (genuine) diploma from the school. The person who signed that diploma usually didn't know that it was fake. Something like that only works at very large universities, of course.

 

In Bears Guide I wrote about a comparable situation with a medical degree from the University of Southern California. An insider changed the computer records . . . and, at the time, the university admitted they had no way to search for others, since they did not keep any non-digital records: class lists, grade reports, papers submitted, etc. They expressed confidence that this was the only case, a very rare event . . . but it seemed wishful thinking.