- BBC File on 4 (January 2018) reported more than 3,000 fake qualifications sold to UK buyers in 2013-14.
- It reported over 215,000 sold worldwide in 2015, worth £37.5m.
- Some buyers were pushed to pay up to £500,000 through escalating demands.
- HEDD tracks 243 bogus institutions.
What the BBC found
File on 4 reported that over 215,000 fake qualifications were sold worldwide in 2015, bringing in £37.5m. The pattern it described matches the Axact operation in Pakistan. The UK buyers included NHS consultants and nurses, which is why this is a patient-safety issue as well as a fraud one.
How it unfolds
- An advert or a lookalike website offers a degree on the strength of “work and life experience”, with no exams.
- The buyer pays a first fee and receives, or is promised, a certificate.
- A second caller says the degree needs an accreditation, a ministry certificate or an apostille. Each costs more.
- The demands keep rising. Some buyers spent up to £500,000.
- By then the seller holds proof that the buyer bought a fake degree, and uses that as pressure to keep the payments coming.
What the seller promises, and what a real award needs
| Diploma mill | Genuine UK degree | |
|---|---|---|
| Who awards it | A name close to a famous university, or none you can find | A body on the Office for Students Register (England) or the Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish recognised-bodies lists |
| What you do | Pay; perhaps submit a CV | Be admitted, study and be assessed |
| Timing | Days | Years of study |
| Employer check | Fails: not on a list, or on HEDD's bogus list | Passes a HEDD inquiry |
Warning signs
- You can buy the award without sitting any assessment.
- The price depends on your “work and life experience”.
- The name closely resembles a well-known university. Suffolk Trading Standards closed down one such lookalike site.
- No entry on the official lists of recognised bodies.
- Pressure to pay quickly, or a certificate delivered in days.
Two-minute checks
- Find the institution on the list for its nation, using the route on GOV.UK's recognised UK degrees page. Do not follow a link from the advert.
- If it is not on a list, check whether the body that awards the degree is. GOV.UK notes that the place you study and the body that awards the degree can be different.
- Ask the institution which body awards the qualification, in writing.
- If you are an employer, run a HEDD inquiry.
Fake school certificates too
Counterfeit GCSE and A-level certificates are sold as well. JCQ members won a High Court injunction on trade mark grounds against one site, which priced them at about £400 each. A seller was sentenced on 14 January 2015 to 80 hours of unpaid work after a Darlington Trading Standards case. The lawful substitute is in replacing a lost GCSE certificate.
Myth and fact
Myth: A degree with an apostille or a ministry stamp is automatically valid.
Fact: Those add-ons are the upsell. A stamp on a document from an unrecognised body does not make the body recognised.
Myth: Nobody checks old qualifications.
Fact: Zholia Alemi's forged degree was exposed after more than 20 years, when Cumbria Police obtained evidence from the University of Auckland. See fake doctor cases.
If you already paid
Stop paying. Do not send more money for an “accreditation”. Keep the emails and receipts, tell your bank, report to the police fraud reporting service, and read the legal position before using the document anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
What is a diploma mill?
An operation that sells degrees or certificates for payment, with little or no genuine study or assessment.
How many fake qualifications were sold to UK buyers?
BBC File on 4 reported more than 3,000 in 2013-14, including to NHS consultants and nurses.
Why do diploma mill buyers keep paying?
Sellers add escalating demands for accreditation, ministry certificates and apostilles. Some buyers paid up to £500,000, and the seller can threaten to expose them.
How can I tell if a university is a diploma mill?
Look for it on the national list of recognised bodies, starting from GOV.UK's recognised UK degrees page. If an employer is checking, HEDD tracks 243 bogus institutions.
Is a degree bought online worth anything?
No. A body that cannot award UK degrees produces a document that fails an employer check, and using it can be fraud. A legitimate course with a recognised awarding body is the only route.
Can a lookalike university name be legal?
Not if it offers awards that could reasonably be taken for a UK institution's degrees. Section 214 of the Education Reform Act 1988 makes that an offence for those who do it in the course of business.