February 11, 2009 8:34 PM

Cracking Down On Diploma Mills

By
Joel Roberts
(CBS)  If there's one thing University of Illinois physics professor George Gollin values as much as his students, it's the degrees that made him a professor, reports CBS News Correspondent Lee Cowan.

So when he found out prestigious degrees like his were for sale on the Internet, he decided to investigate.

"I got pissed off, basically," says Gollin. "There were people committing fraud who were putting at risk innocent victims."

His research uncovered hundreds of sham universities – diploma mills – offering fake degrees in everything from oncology to emergency surgery.

There are no lectures, no staff, no faculty, yet some people will pass off these phony documents as legitimate degrees.

Take London's Strassford University. Its Web site claims this impressive looking institution was founded during the reign of Queen Victoria. But an attempt to find those ivy-covered halls of learning turned up no grand building, no ivy, not even a sign.

"It may have a beautiful brochure, it may have a picture of a gorgeous building on it, but it's not theirs," says former FBI investigator Allen Ezell.

Fake degrees are nothing new to Ezell. What is new is the level of sophistication.

"They offer you lifetime verification, lifetime backup to your employer if you're going for a job interview," Ezell says.

That means buyers not only get a fake diploma, they get a bogus transcript with grades for courses never taken – and even letters of recommendation.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me., is a not-too-grateful graduate. During her investigation, she applied for two masters – one in medical technology, the other in biology.

And what does she know about medical technology and biology? "Zero, nothing," Collins says. "In fact I never took a college level biology course in my life."

But she really got mad when she discovered that a woman named Laura Callahan boasted a doctorate in computer information systems from one of the phantom universities.

And Callahan landed a job at the Department of Homeland Security.

"It raises questions, particularly if the individual has a security clearance," says Collins. "That's very troubling to me."

Troubling also, Collins says, because many of these fake degrees can also be used to get student visas – just like two of the Sept. 11 hijackers used to get into the country in the first place.

All reasons, says Gollin, to double-check fact against fiction and make sure that virtual degree is indeed from a virtuous institution.

Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved.
Add a Comment
by CapnEdd1987 July 22, 2011 5:09 PM EDT
All I'm saying, is don't throw the baby out with the bath water. There are people out there looking to scam you with everything, and obviously, with the economy being where it is, it stands to reason that there are gonna be online colleges out there promising services they can't deliver. THERE ARE SOME good ones out there though, and good directories. My sister had a tremendous amount of luck going through CareerSchoolAdvisor.com. I've heard good about some other sites too. http://www.careerschooladvisor.com
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by Styger77 July 20, 2011 2:54 AM EDT
I was researching correspondance course in my country (South Africa).
I came acroos the Woodfield University website, which promted me to give information to see the degrees I could study for. I began entering my info and then I cancelled the process as I saw the advert stating that you could get an accredited "lifeskills degree"??? ( um, no thank you!) Not even 5 minutes after I had left the website, I got a call from what I was the "fake" agent from the USA, offering me a fake and illegal degree at a price of $650.00!!! I can't believe how fast they are at getting hold of you!! And all the way in another country! Trying to sell illegal degrees!!! (Has the world gone Mad!!??) I worked hard, paid alot of money and went to University! for my diploma and it saddens me to see that people can just buy one, without putting in the work, money and actual skills required. So heres a thought, how many people have the jobs I applied for(and didn't get), beacause their qualification was a bit higher than mine, but in the end illegal? Truly sad, but I'm glad I'm smart enough to have seen it was a total scam!!!
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