It’s no secret that people lie on their CV. Some will just exaggerate their responsibilities a little, others will tell much bigger lies about previous employers or will fake educational qualifications. Employers are frequently shocked by just how many fake university degrees and other qualifications appear on candidates’ applications. Most employers have recognised the benefits of a rigorous pre-employment screening programme, which checks the facts on applications, runs identity checks on applicants and looks at issues such as social media profiles and quality of references to make sure the person hired is genuine and reliable.

Degree Mills

Degree mills are businesses which set themselves up online to falsely claim that they are a proper higher education institution. People who “enrol” with these websites can order academic diplomas and degree certificates, for a fee. These mills often require no actual academic study, attendance at lectures or submission of any coursework. Their websites might look official and professional, as do the degree certificates and academic transcripts which they issue. However, delve a bit deeper and you will see that they are not accredited by any official body.

Spotting a Degree Mill Certificate

It can be difficult to spot false academic qualifications, especially when dealing with overseas students who are claiming to have graduated in their home country. In the UK, it is simple enough to call up a university or college and get confirmation of study dates and class of degree. There are however certain factors which should raise flags about a qualification not being all that it seems. These include:

• Any degree certificate or institution website which emphasises “life experience” or a similar term as the basis for the awarding of a degree.
• Address – any legitimate institution will list its full postal address on their website, along with email and phone numbers for contact. Any address which is just a PO Box number should be treated with suspicion.
• Speed of completion – most university level degree courses take at least three years. If a candidate is claiming that their studies were tailored around their preferences and took less than a year to complete, this should be investigated further.
• No exams – degree mills will generally offer degrees without exams or coursework. Also check whether the website mentions any members of staff whose names can be verified as working there.
• Fees – most universities will charge fees per year, per semester or per class taken. Degree mills will just offer a flat charge for each degree.
• Lack of accreditation from governments, education departments and other official bodies.

Academic Screening

The only way to weed out applicants who may have been tempted to buy their qualifications from a fake online university is to have a strong screening process. Never take anything you are told at face value and always take other steps to verify that the institution is genuine, and that the person you are talking about employing was really a student there. A bit of work before hiring someone will save a lot of time and expense in the long run.