Ways to Avoid Being Deceived

The best way to avoid free online degree scams is to know the details of the online colleges and the program you are applying for. There are many fake distance education websites which take advantage of prospective students who want to pursue higher education through online programs.

You should check on the credentials of the websites offering false degrees as some do not hide the fact that they are selling false degrees and at times even promote that you can get a degree without studying for it. Even if you opt for these kinds of false degrees, you will have to face the consequences at a later stage which can affect your career as well as future. Therefore, it is better to avoid such fake degrees.

You should also be careful of the websites that deceive students by claiming that they are offering real diploma courses. You should check whether the courses are accredited or not and then decide to pursue them. Accredited courses offered by accredited colleges are approved by accrediting agencies and they are authentic as a third party has approved its offerings.

Also some claim that they are part of the brick and mortar colleges in America, but when you check their credentials through their domain name, they do not have a proper address. There are no campuses or faculty members.

Therefore, if you are interested in pursuing higher education and want to take advantage of one of the free online degree websites, be sure that they are offered through authentic source and are credible.

Step 1:

Verify accreditation status – You can use the U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Post secondary Institutions and Programs to see if the school is accredited. Make sure the institution is accredited by an organization recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Education. If the school lacks valid accreditation by an agency recognized by a Federal agency, a State government or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, you may want to continue your search for a legitimate school.

Step 2:

Degrees for sale – You can simply purchase a degree, diploma or certificate for a fee without completing any coursework or very little coursework. If the institution guarantees a degree in a short time frame, or offers you a bachelor’s or master’s degree within a days or weeks for around $600 or more, it is a tell tale sign that the school is a diploma mill.

Step 3:

Similar names –Institutions that have names that are very similar to well known reputable college or universities are usually diploma mills. Check with the Better Business Bureau to make sure the school is operating legally in a state and to see if there are any complaints on record.

Step 4:

No admissions information required – If the school requires no admissions information such as transcripts, GPA, or standardized test scores, you may want to ask some very important questions such as who teaches the courses? What degrees do they offer? Are they regionally or nationally accredited? Where can you find course descriptions? What are the requirements for graduation? Do they offer financial aid, scholarships or grants?

Step 5:

How are tuition and fees paid? – Another tell tale sign of a diploma mill is if the school requires that tuition and fees be paid on a per-degree basis instead of per credit hours, course, or semester basis.

Don’t risk your future!

Diploma mills are not recognized by official educational accrediting agencies, or by employers. They are schools that are more interested in taking your money than providing you with a quality higher education. If you are serious about your education, you will need to spend some time researching the school that you are interested in attending so that you don’t fall victim to diploma mills. You must thoroughly research the school to ensure the institution is legitimate. Learn these tips on identifying and protecting yourself from diploma mills.

Fake Online Degree Colleges

Many fake colleges and educational institutions disguise themselves in a name that closely resembles some of the most popular institutions in the country and advertise to offer the best of courses, which are in fact fake and phony degree courses. Not all users of these online educational facilities are aware of such degree mills and phony degrees that they often fall prey to these institutions. A few facts for your information

• Fake online degree colleges and degree mills are said to generate more than around $200 millions dollars of revenue every year.
• Their job is to sell degree certificates for a price. And the entire course curriculum they talk about is just an eye wash. Where hard earned degrees are offered t at a ridiculous time frame and for a price, make sure to enquire about their legitimacy.
• Unfortunately not all those who approach such institutions are innocent, there are number of others who intentionally offer to take up such phony degree courses just to find a career. Imagine our state when we find that those experts whom we consult may it be healers, quality control specialist and even engineers, hold a fake degree or diplomas. It is pathetic.
• The fact is that not even institutions like FBI are in a position to do away with Fake Online Degree Colleges. While the task force operated under the name of Operation Dipscam, guided by John Bear, more popularly known as Degree Mill Watchdog, were successful in closing down more than 40 colleges in a period 14 years from 1979 to 1992.
• Fake colleges are a good source of a multi million dollar business with support from a number of business houses. Hence curbing is highly difficult.
• When they can make huge money they also do not hesitate to pay high sums of money for advertising their business. As newspapers thrive on income from advertisements they turn a blind eye to these phony college degree advertisements. And the damage is very serious when the advertisement appears next to a genuine college advertisement.
• With support from sources such as internet and search engines in particular degree mills and phony degree college thrive well. Even some of the sensitive search engines have not taken steps to stop the listing of fake colleges in line with accredited institutions confusing the end users about the legitimacy of the schools or colleges they wish to proceed with.
• Degree and Diploma Mills cannot survive without the help from popular media sites and particularly magazines and papers. It is upto the media to help the public from the shady dealing of fake colleges and phony educational institutions whose prime aim is to mint money putting the future of thousands of students at stake.

Even repeated warnings have proved futile in making students and professionals aware of fake online institutions. So much so that after years of career with fake degrees and diplomas, the future of such individuals goes into turmoil after the fake college credentials are discovered.

What is a Diploma Mill?

Diploma Mills are in short, fake online colleges that offer Online Degree Programs which do not meet the required standard of education or those which offer fake degree certificates for money. These players mainly intend to mint money from those students who genuinely look forward to complete an online degree program. It is because of these diploma mills that even genuine colleges loose their recognition and employers do not recognize Online Degree Certifications fearing fraud and misrepresentation.

What is a Diploma Mills Police?

Are you looking forward to enroll in an Online Degree Program? A little confused about how to verify their accreditation and reputation? Do you feel the need for a website which will clarify the status of online schools, their performance and recognition? Diploma Mill Police is a free online college accreditation service that helps you verify an Online Degree Program and its authenticity. This service mainly aims at protecting students with genuine interest from getting cheated by these unscrupulous businessmen who en cash the need of such students. There are students who willingly go for such options, as it gets them a degree with absolutely no effort and just money. It is believed that there are close to 200 colleges in the US which are diploma mills and it is important that students take the help of such services so as not to repent later on.

Online College Accreditation Service – Is it helpful?

Any effort towards fighting against these Diploma Mills is a welcome sign. Further it is one stop shop for students to verify the legitimacy of the online college they choose to attend to. This service mainly helps in identifying whether the educational institution is a valid one or a scam. Even a slightest doubt about the institution can be verified and updation about accredited colleges and the regional agency that has offered accreditation. A step by step effort in this direction will help in wiping away the ill effects of Diploma Mills. Do you wish to differ?

I met an old friend of mine yesterday at the coffee shop. Her name is Sophia. A very good friend of mine whom I lost contact with some years ago. But yes she is one those most studious girls in the class. Her eye for detail astonishes me greatly. Given her a job she does it extremely well and finds out what it takes to do it better. It was only on a chat with her that I learned about Online Degree Colleges. She had to quit her college studies to support her family and has made it big in her job with online degrees that allowed her to work and study as well. It was an unexpectedly long chat. She was telling me about how online colleges enables a person to study at any time of the day and from anywhere in the world. The study by capacity concept that allowed students complete their courses at their own pace supported with Online Lectures delivered by eminent professors. Interactive forum for the benefit of students to clarify their doubts and seek clarifications. It was wonderful solution for anybody who wishes to study when they are way past their college days.

Fraudulent Colleges

As she was telling me she also spoke about the need to verify the legitimacy of the colleges under review. I believe with the emergence of a number of illegitimate online course providers, whose aim is to offer a degree for money has become a serious threat to those students who are genuinely looking forward to make a career. It is both waste of time and money where your real need is cashed and you are ditched with a lifeless degree certification which has neither meaning nor recognition. She was talking about a term called Diploma Mills. She said those colleges which offer degree for money or those that which offer a affordable course curriculum, which can be completed at a ridiculous time frame are normally classified as Diploma Mills. If I can recollect well she was talking about a check list that will help you save falling prey to such fraudulent colleges.

Check points to avoid falling prey to imposters

Sophia was simply fabulous the way she jotted down the points in a lightening speed, let me try and put them down

• Be clear on the course of education you wish to take up and focus your search on colleges offering them.
• Check for the accreditation from the US department of education and other regional council, in their respective list published every year.
• Get opinions from the past pupil who had been through the course curriculum.
• Always go for reputed colleges.
• Age old colleges always have a name in the industry.
• Study the curriculum to check for a genuine and feasible course structure
• Check for the basis on which such degrees are offered, if it is based on your experience or any other consideration other than studying and passing exams, be sure they are diploma mills.

The discussion ended as she had to leave to catch up for an appointment for a client. Don’t you think my friend was fabulous? Are there any more friends in the forum who have better details and experience, please do share it? May be we can catch with another episode of coffee shop.

Students who are willing to pursue their graduation and post graduation courses but are not in a position to study in a regular college due to various other commitments, consider online education as a boon to achieve their goal of completing college education. These are distance learning education which help them attend to classes at the time and place of their convenience. The earning capacity of an individual who has completed graduation is much more than the one who has completed his high school. Hence those who wish to study their graduation can right away do it with the help of accredited institutions and universities over the net. A number of variety courses are offered over the net offering wide choice of learning to aspiring students.

Best Accredited Online Degrees

Before choosing to join any real time educational course it is important to verify the reliability of the institution and the courses offered by them. There are a number of predatory agencies who make money out of the genuine need of students to study, where both time and money is wasted for no reason what so ever. Appropriate steps should be taken to ensure the institution is accredited with either a state or central organization.

A search over the net will let you know whether the institution or university of your choice is accredited and the courses offered have a valid recognition. In order to avoid scams and diploma mills from spoiling your educational dream, it is important that you conduct in depth research before investing any money.

The US department of education provides a list of accredited institutions that provide distance graduate and post graduate learning over the net. In addition to this a number of state organizations recognize certain online colleges and universities and certified by them for recognition and validity.

Diploma Mills:

Diploma Mills are basically fraudulent universities that provide potential students diplomas or degrees without any sort of study. To get diploma or degree from these fraudulent universities, all you need to do is to send them money through demand draft or bank transfer. The significant factor here is that you do not need to attend classes in order to earn a degree or a diploma from these fraudulent universities.

Media Coverage:

There has been quite a bit of media coverage regarding diploma mills in both print and electronic media in the last six months. Among other routines, it’s the responsibility of the Office of Degree Authorization to terminate fraudulent degree activities.

Operation:

Recent study has come to the conclusion that most of the diploma mills operate with the help of Internet while hiding their true identities. Before taking admission in any degree program, make sure that you check the accreditation of the institute first. If the institute you have opted for is not accredited, there is a strong possibility that you are dealing with the diploma mill.

Why are Diploma Mills a problem?

Diploma Mills are basically fraud, whose main objective is to make money while offering no service. There are plenty of them that devalue college degrees by offering degrees to students without any sort of study. Because of this, value of accredited degrees also suffers and employers start rejecting job application of students who have earned an online degree.

Legality:

Diploma Mills are not given a legal status by any of the US States. However, there are some US States that allow almost any individual to operate a university without getting accreditation from state authorities. It includes Idaho, Alabama, Hawaii, California, Montana, Mississippi and Wyoming. If the university you have opted for is a diploma mill, it is advisable that you contact the Office of Degree Authorization. It is worth mentioning in this regard that Office of Degree Authorization will investigate the whole situation and if your finding is correct, there is a strong possibility that they will stop the operation of a diploma mill.

Some people believe that all unaccredited universities are diploma mills. This is not true. There are lots of universities operating that are not accredited but the quality of their degree programs is in par with the traditional degree program. However, not being accredited in nature, it is recommended that you do not take admission in these universities as the degree you are going to earn is not going to help you in your career.

Identifying diploma mills:

• They normally charge huge amount of money in terms of tuition fee.
• Classes are not conducted on a regular basis.
• They do not put any sort of restriction on you. As a matter of fact, you are free to do anything.
• They promise that you will get degree quickly. It’s true that you can get degree whenever you want but sadly it’s just a piece of paper which has no real value.
• They change their address on a regular basis.
• In some cases, they write down in the prospectus the name of the fake accrediting agency. Taking this into account, it is advisable that you get full details of the accrediting agency before taking admission.
• They do not offer any sort of practical training to their students.
• They do not have any website.
• They change phone number and e-mail address on a regular basis.

Stay away from diploma mills:

For the sake of your career and financial well being, make sure that you stay away from diploma mills. Instead of relying on short-cut, take admission in an accredited online degree program and study hard. When you study honestly, your knowledge base is going to increase tremendously. This will go a long way in helping you secure a job and also get an admission into the higher education level.

Earning degree quickly:

Majority of students go for diploma mills because they want to earn degree quickly. If you want to earn degree quickly, you have an option of going for an accelerated degree program. But before you do that, analyze carefully how much time you can devote to your studies. If you cannot devote three hours a day, don’t opt for accelerated degree program.

Bogus high school diploma

Lots of students have been a victim of such websites. Generally speaking, they charge you anything in around $300-$500, and will send you some papers and a Bogus High School Diploma. The significant factor here is that the high school diploma send by these people are not accredited by any of the educational board. Therefore, when you apply for a job or an admission for bachelor degree with this diploma, your application is going to be rejected.

Choosing a real online GED program

• There are tight guidelines being set for the GED by The American Council on Education. The GED test consists of mathematics, science, language, arts and social studies. If the online GED program you have opted for does not include any of these subjects, it clearly means that the program is not accredited in nature.
• You will find GED practice tests in number of websites. It is an excellent method to prepare for an actual GED test. But point to be noted here is that you cannot give the actual GED test in these websites. You can only give GED test at official websites. Therefore, stay away from companies that claim to offer the official GED test.
• Before paying fee for Online GED Program, make sure that you read the fine print carefully. When you read fine print, you will get to know what school is offering at what price. If you think price does not match the service, there is a good chance that you are taking admission in a school which offers fake diploma. Don’t take admission in these schools as there diploma is not going to help you in your academic and professional life.
• If any of your friends or family members has recently opted for online GED program, you can take their assistance. In addition, also take the help of your previous teachers. Often, they are aware of the schools that runs accredited online GED program. Take your time when deciding on online GED program rather than taking decision in a hurry.
• Stay away from online schools that give diploma straightaway once you clear an exam. The GED test normally takes around seven to eight hours but when the school is ready to give you diploma after just two or three hour it clearly gives you a signal that the diploma is not accredited. Contact your state Department of Education immediately and check out the credential of the school.

Customers:

A diploma mill normally has two kinds of customers:

• First one in the list is customers that are looking for a genuine academic degree but do not know anything about the fact that they are registering.
• Secondly, there are customers who know fully well that they are doing fraud. These kinds of customers are interested in building their academic profile quickly so that they can get a new job and go for a more advanced degree program.

Diploma mills routines:

Online education is quite a new thing to number of educational organizations, with most of them constantly developing and modifying its syllabus in order to make sure that students do not miss anything important. With new degree programs coming into fray on a regular basis, it’s very easy for someone to come up with a website that gives an impression of a legitimate college.
Unfortunately, the World Wide Web can be an ideal location where scams can target students. If the website of a diploma mill is designed properly with a right kind of writing and good images, students will not be able to detect that the degrees they are offering is fake. After all, registering a website with .edu extension is quite a straightforward affair. Establishing such mill is quite easy. You just need a decent quality color printer, e-mail address, phone number and a properly designed website to accomplish this task.

Kinds of Diploma Mills:

They are of two kinds. The one that provide below standard, specious courses and another that just sell you a degree copy with your name and address on it.

Identifying the scam:

• Nine out of ten times, diploma mills have names identical to famous universities. Only difference being that you will not find accreditation details.
• They changes addresses on a regular basis. In some cases, they also relocate from one state to another.
• The written material will have plenty of grammatical errors. Surprisingly, you will find spelling and grammatical errors in diploma too.
• Mostly they will give students a promise of earning degree more quickly. Sometimes they will offer you degree in less than 27 days. In some cases, they will provide degree with specific backdate printed.
• When it comes to admission in diploma mills, you do not need to give any sort of entrance examination or interviews.