Diploma Mill Scams: Legal Consequences and Civil Penalties for Fake Degree Sellers
Certain companies can create degrees from any institution you choose. There are fake transcripts that go along with it.
Lying about your credentials is a crime in several states. In certain states, it could be considered an offense. If you falsely claim that you possess an engineering degree and you cause structural damage as a result, you may be fined hundreds of dollars.
Legal Consequences
Diploma mill scams, in contrast to many other white collar crimes which make headlines when found guilty, are seldom challenged. It’s easy to understand the reason.
It’s not illegal to purchase fake online degrees, but there are legal consequences. Most obvious is when someone utilizes a fake degree to obtain employment or for professional licensing, they could be in danger of being convicted.
The seller of fake diplomas may face legal consequences. They could be accused of violating state as well as federal law. They may also be sued for negligence or fraud by their clients.
Universities that are legitimate should be working to prevent this kind of fraud. They could do this by being more transparent with their admissions procedure and by instructing their employees to recognize academic fraud. They may also require that applicants pass standardized exams prior to being admitted. This could to ensure that degrees are not awarded solely on experience. These measures are necessary to ensure that fake degrees are not getting real work or licenses.
Criminal Indictments
In certain instances, fake diplomas can result in criminal charges. In a Miami-based scheme known as Operation Nightingale prosecutors accused 25 people of selling fake nursing diplomas from three Florida colleges. The fake transcripts permitted buyers to take licensure exams and gain employment as licensed nurses, registered nurses or practical and vocational nurses in a variety of states.
Fake transcripts and diplomas were issued by Siena College of Health, Lauderhill; Sacred Heart International Institute, Fort Lauderdale; and Palm Beach School of Nursing, Palm Beach County. Fake transcripts were allegedly containing courses not completed, which allowed students to retrodate their degrees. The diplomas were also marketed with fake verification services in order to give employers and others a false sense of confidence in the validity of the degree.
A large portion of those who purchased members of South Florida’s Haitian-American population and some had LPN licenses and were looking to become registered nurses. Federal prosecutors say they could have a chance to spend up to 20 years in prison. The fake credentials cost purchasers the sum of $114 million. According to the government, about 2,400 students, mostly located in New York, who purchased the fake credentials passed the licensing exam. They’ll likely lose their certification but probably won’t be criminally indicted.
Employment Risks
Fake credentials can be a serious issue for employment, in addition to the legal risk. Employers must take care to thoroughly verify a job applicant’s claimed academic credentials. This can be a time-consuming procedure, especially if the applicant has exaggerated or exaggerated the qualifications.
Fake degrees can lead to poor work that could put lives at risk. Additionally, those whose fake credentials are exposed may lose the trust of colleagues and employers. This can have long-term effects on their professional lives and their lives in general.
Individuals and businesses must take several steps to avoid the misuse of fake degrees. These include implementing comprehensive background checks that include verification of academic qualifications and creating clear policies on the disclosure of any changes to academic credentials. Barada Associates provides these services to ensure that each aspect of a person’s background is carefully scrutinized. Call us to find out more about our educational verification services.
Civil Penalties
Academic fraud is a multi-billion dollar industry that is often difficult to track down. A former police officer and Western Australian MP was sentenced to 3 years in prison for using a fake UK degree when applying for an employment.
Fake certificate makers can often make degrees that look similar to those issued by legitimate institutions. This includes using the same fonts, paper, and the same print formats. Fake certificates may also be given to employers for verification purposes.
The language used on the certificate could be an indication of a fake. The use of Latin terminology is a dead indicator, since universities seldom issue certificates in Latin. Grammatical and spelling errors are also red flags. If the institution does not record the student this should also cause suspicion. If the school’s name sounds familiar, check the history of that university. For example, if a university is the result an amalgamation or name change like City of London Polytechnic becoming London Metropolitan University, this may indicate a counterfeit document.
Professional Licenses Issues
Many people purchase fake degrees because they can’t afford university fees or don’t have the time for a full course of study, but these fake qualifications are causing serious issues. They undermine the hard work and genuine understanding of genuine graduates, and they can even place life at risk when someone is employed in a high-risk field with no proper education.
When assessing a fake degree, there are several warning indicators to be on the lookout for. For example spelling errors in the name of the institution on the diploma could indicate that it’s not legitimate. Another indication is when a university states that it is situated in a state or country in which it’s not in fact located.
To combat this issue, the world’s leading universities are creating blockchain-based credentials that are able to be verified by a smartphone app. They are designed to students avoid fraud and also stop diploma mills by https://lambangnhanh.com/ making it impossible for them to sell fake credentials.