The release of over 9,000 names this week in the well-publicized Washington diploma mill case was like dropping a stone in the middle of a lake.

The ripples have extended all over the U.S. and into international waters as well.

According to recent news reports, the long list of fake degree purchasers is being forwarded to the state attorney generals of all 50 states so that investigations may continue. They especially want to focus on those who may have compromised the safety of the general public by using fake college degrees to obtain jobs or promotions.

Others on the diploma mill list may also lose their jobs due to the seriousness of listing fraudulent information on their job application.

But hopefully, there has been a lesson in this for those who are contemplating taking a dishonest step to obtain a bogus college degree: Don’t do it. It isn’t worth it in the long run.

For awhile, perhaps no one will be the wiser. But one day, most likely when all is going well, everything will topple as the dark, past deed comes to light.

If you really want  a college degree, find an accredited online degree program and do the work. Take the classes, burn the midnight oil and earn the college degree through diligence and discipled study.

Then, when you receive your college diploma, it will mean something. And no one will be able to take it away from you; because you will truly own it.

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Although the Justice Department ruled that the names of fake degree buyers in a Seattle diploma mill case would not be revealed, a resourceful newspaper unexpectantly — and surprisingly, obtained the list. 

The Spokesman Review dug up the list of over 9,000 names and posted it on their website. They removed information that might identify or compromise their source.

The list contains the names of those who purchased fake college degrees and high school diplomas from a diploma mill operated by Dixie Ellen Randock. Some of the degrees were used to advance careers in the White House, the National Security Agency, NASA and other high-level or sensitive jobs.

Dixie Randock was recently sentenced to jail time for her part in selling college degrees to those who had not earned them. Instead, purchasers simply paid the required fees and received their official-looking degrees in the mail.  

Hopefully, the revelation of all these names will discourage others from cheating by buying a phony degree. The best thing to do is to enroll in an accredited online degree program and earn the higher education degree by diligency and study. 

Employers, employees and the general public may access the list of fake degree buyers here. 

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An unpopular decision by the Justice Department to keep secret the names of almost 11,000 fake degree customers has dealt a harsh blow to the cause of those fighting to eliminate diploma mills.

The recent sentencing of Dixie Ellen Randock in the infamous Seattle diploma mill case stirred up controversy as it was revealed that the diploma mill owners would go to jail; but the names of those who bought the degrees would not be made public.

According to the News Tribune, testimony in the case offered disturbing information as to how the bogus degrees are being used. 

Purchasers were discovered to be working in the White House, the Department of Defense and in military leadership. Others used their worthless degrees to secure various types of employment and to gain promotions in even the most sensitive career fields, including health care, engineering and counseling. 

Rather than earn accredited online degrees from reputable online schools, these thousands chose to cheat by purchasing the fake diplomas from an operation that netted millions of dollars in the lucrative diploma mill business.  

At least 500 bogus diplomas were sold in California, the highest number of any state. But purchasers were spread out all over the U.S. — including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

There is a chance that the Justice Department could reverse its decision and share the names of the customers in this case; however it is not likely.

Hopefully, the laws will soon change to protect the public, rather than allowing con men and women with fake degrees to infiltrate and rise above the ranks of honest men and women in the work force.

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As fires rage out of control in Northern California, a controversy rages in Solano County, where seven firefighters from the American Canyon Fire District received pay raises based upon fraudulent college degrees from Almeda University. 

The pay raises were rescinded, according to the TImes-Herald, after an investigation confirmed that the firefighters did not earn an accredited online degree, but instead purchased a fake college degree from the notorious diploma mill. These Solano County employees simply paid a fee and received their diplomas in the mail. No college work was required.

The controversy is still fueled by the fact that the firefighters have not been required to pay back the taxpayer dollars they gained in raises using the bogus degrees. Apparently, the educational incentive pay raises were approved before the labor union added language specifying that the college degrees had to come from ”accredited schools”.  

So through this loophole, seven employees received money they did not earn through any work on a college degree. However, the wheels of the legal process continue to churn; and perhaps the money in question will later be returned to Solano County for approved expenditures.

Unfortunately, diploma mills continue to thrive, even with easy public access to information about them. Plenty of buyers appear to be willing to risk their future careers by dishonest gain in the short term. It requires so little research to expose fake degrees; and it takes only 2 years of full-time college work to earn an accredited online associate’s degree. In an additional 2 years, an online bachelor’s degree may be completed.

Employers are beginning to realize that diploma mill consumers are often fully aware of what they are doing and that they are not victims. By purchasing fake degrees, buyers feed a fraudulent, shady industry that is interested only in making money and not in the harm they cause. 

Those who claim higher education degrees that they have not earned wreak havoc on the public — especially in the areas of health care, engineering, psychology, homeland security, criminal justice, accounting and finance. In the end, we all suffer. 

Warning signs that a website is a diploma mill disguised as an accredited online school include the following: 

• little or no college-level work is required,
• there is no physical campus or address in the U.S., other than a post office box,
• few or no faculty members are listed on the ’school’ website,
• a one-time fee for the degree is required, instead of tuition per semester, quarter, or other term,
• to add a second degree requires a mere upgrade in the cost,
• it is possible to choose your grade point average,
• there may be a transcript-verification option,
• life experience is the only criteria used as a qualification for the degree,
• the diploma arrives in the mail within a short time after payment is made.

So before enrolling in an online school, check several sources for information — including the U.S. Department of Education, CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation), and the DETC (Distance Education and Training Council).

In addition, you may want to type the name of the online school into a seach engine, like Google, to see if it has been in the news as a diploma mill. Several states, including Texas, Maine, Michigan and Oregon, maintain a list of unaccredited and substandard schools that may be helpful as well.

Firefighting has its share of heroes. But as happens in most professions, there are those who find ways to cheat or skirt the rules. There were 15 firefighters in the American Canyon Fire District that received the incentive pay raises. And thankfully, 8 of them honored their profession by earning their college degrees the way men and women of integrity always have — by successfully completing a challenging course of study. They are true heroes.

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As Almeda University continues to run ads and send out press releases offering online degrees, several states warn consumers to keep in mind the phrase: ‘buyer beware’.

Texas, Oregon, and Florida are just a few of the many states that consider Almeda ‘University’ to be a diploma mill or substandard institution. The U.S. Department of Education agrees and does not include the unaccredited institution among it acceptable colleges and universities.

In Texas, it is illegal to use a written or oral advertisement to promote a college degree from Almeda. Also, it is illegal to use an Almeda degree to gain employment, to acquire a license or certificate for practice of a trade or occupation, to receive a raise or job promotion, to apply for admission to a legitimate educational institution, or to gain government employment with authority over another person.  Oregon has similar laws regarding diploma mills like Almeda.  

In 2003, the Florida Department of Education ordered Almeda to cease operating in the state and warned consumers to steer clear of its illegal degrees. In 2006, two Naples police officers were fired for using degrees from Almeda to obtain a pay increase. They were subsequently rehired, but paid back the additional monies gained from the bogus degrees.

Almeda also targets religious publications with its ads and offers college degrees and credentials to those willing to pay the few hundred dollars for a ‘life experience’ degree, which is often another name used for diploma mill degrees. Almeda claims to be accredited; but its accrediting bodies are not legitimate.

Ministers, teachers employed at religious schools, lay people in churches and others who seek an online degree should check with the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, rather than risking embarrassment down the road when a fake degree is revealed. 

Other states that may consider it illegal to use an Almeda University degree also include Illinois, New Jersey, Idaho, Washington, North Dakota, and Connecticut.

Almeda is not eligible for federally insured student loans or military G.I. bill assistance. In short, if you are seeking an accredited online degree, stay away from Almeda.

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Three members of a family that operated an international  fake degree business pleaded guilty to federal charges involving the Washington-based diploma mill.

Stephen and Dixie Randock, along with their daughter, Heidi Lorhan, and several other defendants reportedly sold over 8,200 bogus college degrees around the world. The business is believed to have taken in between 5  and 6 million dollars from the base of operations in Spokane, according to the Houston Chronicle.

One customer was reported to have purchased a medical degree from the Randocks after seeing an advertisement in an airline in-flight magazine.

Guilty pleas by the Randocks and their daughter were part of a plea-bargain agreement that lessened the criminal charges to wire and mail fraud. The case against the Randocks has been carefully watched and is reported to be the first successfully prosecuted case against diploma mill operators using these particular charges. The defendants are expected to be sentenced in a few weeks.

The Randocks and their co-defendants sold bogus college degrees from non-existent colleges, along with counterfeit degrees from reputable schools. According to the Spokesman Review, at least 300 of those diplomas were sold to U.S.  government employees — some working in sensitive agencies like the Justice Department and the State Department. Others were sold to foreign purchasers who could use the false credentials to immigrate more easily into the United States.

A task force was set up to build a case against the Randocks when information revealed that some of the fake degrees were being sold to customers in the Middle East. Investigative agencies involved in the case include the Secret Service, the U.S. Attorney’s office, the IRS (Internal Revenue Service), Spokane police detectives, Federal Protective Services, and the Washington State Attorney General’s office. 

Although numerous accredited online degree programs exist, diploma mills draw in customers by advertising a “something for relatively nothing” product. Customers generally write a check, completing little or no actual college-level work. Within two or three weeks, an impressive and authentic-looking college diploma arrives in the mail.

Because many employers lack the manpower to verify credentials listed on employee job applications, fake degrees remain largely undetected.

However, the case involving the Randock family may signal a new beginning in the way diploma mill predators are detected, investigated and prosecuted. And in the meantime, buyer beware!

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Fake college degrees seem to be in the news every day; and the public is hopefully getting the message that it is risky to purchase a fraudulent degree from a diploma mill.

But there is another reason that employers should be concerned about the credentials of the people they hire: the possibility of the theft of merchandise, intellectual property and cash from the business.

A college degree generally opens the door for hirees to become trusted employees. Some may be given a key to the business, may be signers on the business account or may have access to business secrets and unreleased product information.

Remember, the employee with a bogus college degree has already:

• deceptively put down false information on their employment application and resume,
• dishonestly purchased a college degree without fulfilling the degree requirements,
• accepted a promotion and pay compensation based upon a lie.

Is this the type of person that an employer would want to trust with the assets of the business? Obviously not.

Employers should be diligent about checking the credentials of anyone they hire. The safety of other employees and the financial well-being of the business may be at stake.

Hire only those who have earned their college degrees through diligence and discipline in a traditional or online degree program. It is the safest thing to do.

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Last week, a retired deputy U.S. marshal was prosecuted for using a fake college degree from a diploma mill, St. Regis University, to gain a promotion and a $16,000-a-year pay raise. 

He admitted to lying on his federal job promotion form and was fined $500, given 2 years probation and sentenced to 80 hours of public service. 

Still, he kept the pay raise and the subsequent retirement benefits because his supervisors were aware of the deception before he was promoted.

Diploma mills continue to be a major problem; and they often lure potential clients by calling their product ‘life experience degrees’ or ‘novelty degrees’. Proposed legislation by Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota is currently being reviewed by Congress to enact stiffer penalties for those who sell the fake diplomas.  The House of Representatives voted on February 7th to pass the legislation, which will now move into the Senate for a vote.

HR4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, is championed as a valuable tool in fighting the scourge of diploma mill fraud.  But it is also important for potential students to learn the difference between accredited online schools and diploma mills. The U.S. Department of Education continues to provide a database of accredited colleges and universities along with information about how to spot fraudulent, scam businesses masquerading as colleges.

The retired U.S. marshal got off easy; but the laws are changing. And it’s about time.

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According to the Dallas Morning News, the assistant police chief of the Dallas Independent School District has resigned amidst revelations that his credentials were received from a diploma mill.

In 2006, when the position with the school district became available, Donovon Collins listed – on his resume – an online bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Canyon College in Idaho. An investigation revealed that Mr. Collins had taken about 6 classes and paid approximately $2,500 to obtain his degree. 

An accredited online degree for full-time college students generally requires 6-8 classes or more a year for at least 4 years. In a private college, which Canyon College claims to be, $2,500 would barely cover one semester.

Canyon College is absent from the list of accredited colleges and universities provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Because of its unaccredited status in Idaho, Canyon College does not allow students of Idaho to enroll in its classes. In this way, it has been able to offer distance-learning programs to out-of-state students without facing legal challenges from Idaho officials.

But in Texas, listing a ‘fraudulent or substandard  degree’ in order to procure a job or promotion is illegal. Therefore, it is possible that Mr. Collins may face misdemeanor charges.

Diploma mills may provide a shorter path to a degree; but the degree is worthless. So potential students should be careful to check out any college or university before enrolling. 

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According to Bloomberg Press, reverberations from the South Korea diploma mill scandal have extended throughout the country, with a huge net of investigators snaring over 120 people who faked their credentials to acquire jobs, promotions and prominence. Additional unknown perpetrators remain shaken as they await discovery for listing non-existent college diplomas on their resumes.

Even the military is involved, with 13 officers and 8 officer cadets indicted for using fake college degrees.

In a country where education is exalted and over 90% of high school students aspire to attend college, the ongoing scandal has shaken public confidence in educators who previously enjoyed high esteem and life atop a pedestal. 

Our previous updates about this matter — in July, September and October - described a few celebrities who were caught in their own web of deception. But since then, the South Korean authories have worked diligently to sniff out others who have cheated their way up the social ladder of success. Revelations continue to pour out as law enforcement investigators encourage employers to scour the resumes of teachers and career-climbers all over the country.

With so many accredited online schools and traditional universities available, one might wonder why anyone would buy a fake degree from a degree mill. rather than earn it honestly. Nowadays, the risk is growing for those inclined toward cheating in this way; and it only takes an inquisitive employer, a disgruntled co-worker, or a dissatisfied client to begin digging into a person’s credentials. 

However, one must also understand that South Korea has one of the most competitive education systems; and a college diploma from a prestigious school opens the doors to guaranteed success and widespread respectability. According to BBC News, South Korea is #1 in the world in people between the ages of 25 to 34 who have earned a college degree. In fact, 97 of this age group hold college degrees. South Korea beat out Norway, Japan, Great Britain and the U.S. for this honor.

South Korea is just one of many countries with a diploma mill problem. But at least they are determined to do something about it. 

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