"People buy fake degrees because they work" -- Rich Douglas

"The reason why people buy fake degrees is because they work," said Richard Douglas [...]. "If you have a degree from a funny-sounding school that people do not recognize, I guess you get put in the do-not-consider pile [...]. With diploma mills, they tend to be very staid, very traditional-sounding. The whole point is to give some semblance of dignity."

The article (from the Erie Times-News) cites John Bear also.

http://goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030528/BUSINESS03/105280278