I haven’t seen it, but have seen numerous stories of diploma mills. The names are similar to a real University but the name is in the wrong order. Enough to fool a common person but not a graduate. An example, Rice, would the diploma read Rice University or University of Rice? The diploma could be easily faked as long as you aren’t in Houston.
My army reserve boss had this happen as he was looking at a client’s diploma and stated, “That doesn’t look my diploma from West Point?”
Who carries around a diploma to whip it out at will?
Not a soul ever asked to see my diploma. What they really wanted was my transcript…and an official one mailed straight from the college.
My diploma is hanging in my laundry room.
Carrying a diploma seems more prevalent abroad, where I hear of job applicants bringing them to interviews.
I don’t even know where mine are; somewhere in my parents’ house . . .
When applicants are excessively proud of their diploma and offer it up is when it gets suspicious.
I graduated less than 2 years ago and I have no idea where my diplomas are.
I’ve never heard of this.
Hmmm. I have heard of requiring proof of degree for employment. Maybe it is different for engineering, but my husband has had to provide proof of his degree. When he changed jobs many yrs after graduation and we were clueless about his diploma was, he had to go through the university to send out a verification letter. The diploma would have been a lot easier.
My diploma is sitting in a cabinet with a bunch of other papers. Why would I ever show it to anybody? I get that lawyers display theirs on the wall, but otherwise it’s an odd thing to carry around. If someone needed proof where I went to school (can’t imagine why), I suppose they’d have to call the school to verify (and get my maiden name while they were at it).
Many big companies subscribe to an online verification service which takes a social security number and can spit out degree verification within five minutes. In the old days (up until the late 1990’s) companies had clerks and temps who called the registrar’s office of the college’s listed on a potential hires resume and got a clerk or temp at the college to “look it up”.
It’s very easy now. And I have dozens of war stories of fake degrees- a mid career professional who attended a two day seminar at Wharton on “Negotiating Skills” which has morphed into a Wharton degree (you don’t think Wharton keeps tabs on who actually matriculated and graduated?); the ABD PhD’s, the “Harvard Extension School night class for non-matriculants” which over a decade became a Harvard College degree, etc.
Some companies don’t check. Others do, and it’s now cheap and easy and fast to do so. So if you are far along enough with a job application where they’ve asked for your social security number, it is likely they will be verifying your degrees (anything you’ve claimed).
@blossom That makes sense. My dh’s job change which requested verification of his degree was in the early 90s. i imagine today the process is more automated.
No. BUt I don’t eyeball diplomas. Even if a diploma doesn’t look like one I’ve seen from the same school if I should happen to even remember what it looks like, it doesn’t mean anything since schools can change the format of their diplomas from year to year. I also don’t know anyone who carries a diploma around. The only place I’ve seen others’ diplomas have been on walls of professionals, like doctors.
If I were checking out someone’s credentials, I’d get permission to verify graduation from the school, not ask for a diploma. You ask for the final transcript or record directly from the school.
http://freakonomics.com/2012/10/11/freakonomics-goes-to-college/
This episode of Freakonomics, the WNYC show, goes into depth on the issue of fake diplomas.
Mom2aphysicsgeek…around here…proof of degree requires an official transcript which states that the degree has been completed…sent directly from the college.
Diploma? Nope, that won’t cut it.
Who goes looking at diplomas? Other than those displayed on walls? And who assesses whether they might be fak or judges according to those wall displays?
The last time I was promoted at my current firm, I had to provide documentary evidence for every item on my resume, so I still have a file of transcripts around here somewhere. OTOH, I haven’t seen my law school diploma since I last moved and have no idea what happened to it. Perhaps it’s hanging in someone else’s office after some sort of white-out alteration.
While this doesn’t have to do with the actual sheepskin, in a batch of 100 resumes, we would see about 2-3 with obviously fake degrees. It’s higher in groups applying for business, management or administrative positions.
The reason I mention it is that the really stupid ones would actually offer to show the diploma.
If you drill down, you can find another couple or so that are fraudulent but aren’t as obvious. There are probably more on average because the desperate ones aren’t typically too interesting to begin with and don’t get followed up on.
I attended a graduate business school program, but did not graduate, and I’m always afraid that I’ll somehow misrepresent myself as having graduated. (I was midway through and became pregnant with twins and was unable to continue.)
I don’t think he has ever had to submit a copy of his transcript. The only request I am aware of is proof of degree.
I have a question. Does this mean anyone can seek the proof of degree of another person or does the person need to have signed a waiver. I am curious b/c I know some parents that have not been able to get information about their kids w/o the student signing a waiver, so I am wondering how employers get the information without a waiver?
There was a trail in which a licensed professional claimed a degree that his son earned (they had the same name). Opposing council sprung this on him when he was on the stand. Not a good day for him.
You seem to be assuming that such waivers don’t exist. Have you never completed one for a job application?