ARTICLE
Cat Earns Executive MBA
Pennsylvania Attorney General Jerry Pappert's office used a pet cat named Colby Nolan to investigate an alleged scheme for bogus online academic degrees. The investigators contacted online college Trinity Southern University (TSU) on behalf of Colby to obtain a $299 Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration.
On the TSU's student application they claimed that Colby completed three courses at a community college and worked at two different retailers as a manager. Other previous work experience included food preparation at a fast food restaurant, babysitting and a paper route.
After the review and evaluation process was completed, TSU informed Colby via email that his "life experience" qualified him to receive an Executive MBA, not the bachelor's degree that was requested. For an additional $100 fee, Colby agreed to the masters. With in a few weeks, a diploma came in the mail.
The investigators also paid an additional $99 to receive a transcript. The document arrived and included Colby's graduation date, student number and a GPA of 3.5. The transcript also noted the individual courses Colby passed including economics, accounting and finance along with the corresponding grades and the credit hours. The document stated that the courses were completed in the Spring 2002, Fall 2002, Spring 2003, and Fall 2003 semesters.
"It is clear to us that this degree service is not designed for entertainment purposes but to deceive consumers and/or prospective employers into believing that TSU graduates have legitimately earned a Bachelor's, Master's or Ph.D. degree in a particular field of study," Pappert said. "These diplomas have no value in the job market except to harm genuinely accredited colleges and universities and their online academic programs."
Since the investigation, the Pennsylvania attorney general's office has filed a civil lawsuit against TSU and Innovative Cellular and Wireless Inc.
How can you avoid hiring employees with fake degrees? InfoMart's Verifications Department not only researches and tracks the operations of diploma mills through an extensive database and library, but the staff is also trained to examine each profile with a fine toothed comb. Through a system of specialized checks and balances, InfoMart weeds out the phony schools from the real ones, ensuring that clients do not fall into the trap of hiring an impostor.
For more information on InfoMart's Education Verification service, please contact sales@infomart-usa.com or 770-984-2727 option 4.
(source:http://www.nbc10.com & http://www.bizjournals.com)
