Two days ago, the Chicago Tribune reported that a diploma mill based in the state of Washington was busted for selling at least 9,600 fake diplomas to whoever was willing to fork over the green. From PhD’s to MBA’s, if you had the money you could earn a degree from “St. Regis University.”
I can assure you that the recipients of these degrees from this illustrious institution of higher learning weren’t buying diplomas because they would make for nice wall art. They counted on the fact that the fraudulent degrees were their ticket to their next job or promotion.
They counted on the fact that employers wouldn’t bother checking. Guess what? Many fell for it. There’s no way this business exists if employers didn’t take what was on the resume as fact and not follow up with a background check.
In fact, a day later the Tribune reported that investigators found specific examples of misuse in Chicago where at least five police officers and a Chicago Public Schools instructor used fraudulent degrees from St. Regis University get mandatory raises for degree achievement.
The Junior ROTC instructor for CPS, now on leave for an unrelated matter, received a raise from the school district in 2003 based on a PhD and master’s degree allegedly bought from diploma mills affiliated with the fictional “St. Regis University.” The police officers received their degrees from the same scheme in 2001-02, and at least some of them allegedly benefited financially, according to a city official.
Just last year, it was reported that 135 federal employees including those working in the White House and at the National Security Administration had phony degrees from places like St. Regis University, James Monroe University and Robertstown University.
What can we learn from this? One thing is that there are probably hundreds of “St. Regis University’s” out there. Employers must be vigilant and perform proper background checks on all candidates which includes an Education Verification when a degree is required for a position or will qualify them for greater compensation and, or benefits. If you don’t recognize the academic institution or something seems fishy, a small amount of investigative work will do the trick. Do a Google search. See if it’s legit. Candidates will try anything.
Just last month we caught an applicant who provided their prospective employer with a copy of their degree from “Ohio State University”. It was a nice try, but we happened to know that Ohio State refers to themselves as “The Ohio State University” and immediately knew the degree was a fake. We even once had an applicant register a domain with a University –sounding name and set-up an email address that would be forwarded to him. He then gave the email address to the employer so that could verify his degree with them.
Schemes such as “St. Regis University” as always evolving. With this one exposed, another will take its place. It is important that employers recognize this and adapt their employment screening programs accordingly.
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August 6th, 2008 at 11:32 am
What’s the law in the US relating to using a fake diploma to obtain a job? In the UK it’s classed as theft/fraud as you’re receiving pay which you’re not entitled to have though I’ve never heard of it going further than dismissal.
With people traveling further afield it’s becoming difficult for recruiters to have a knowledge of each educational institution especially those outside their own country. However a quick Google would bring up enough details to decide whether it needs investigating further. Most countries have something similar to a top universities publication. The UK’s biggest is the Times Good University Guide – http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/ which will not only verify a university but give an idea of the quality of it’s teaching.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:42 am
I’m unaware of any U.S. based laws that subscribe legal punishments for lying on resumes or misrepresenting degrees other than the fact that they are usually grounds for termination. Where degree falsification can get you into hot water is where the degree is used to obtain some type of certification. There are probably legal recriminations for falsely representing a degree in the public sector if it was used to gain additional compensation.
August 7th, 2008 at 9:21 am
You don’t even have to do a google search these two links should be enough:
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf
http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.asp