CHECKLIST:
92 THINGS BAD AND FAKE SCHOOLS DO
TO MISLEAD PEOPLE
This list of 'red flags' appears in our book, "Degree Mills: the billion-dollar industry that has sold over a million fake diplomas" (Copyright by Allen Ezell and John Bear.) This list may be copied and distributed, as long as the source is given.
ACCREDITATION CLAIMS
1. Accreditation is claimed from a fake or unrecognized agency.
2. The fake or unrecognized accreditor also accredits legitimate schools.
3. The accreditor offers a confirming telephone service or "hot line" to assure people that a given school is accredited.
4. The school claims that, as a global or international university, it doesn't require accreditation and/or government approval from any single government agency.
5. The school explains at length why accreditation is not important or is relevant only for student loans.
6. The school claims that Harvard and Oxford aren't accredited either.
7. Accreditation is correctly claimed, but from a placer where the word is used in quit different ways.
8. The school claims that accreditation is impossible because of the separation of church and state.
9. The school lists approval or accreditation from a fake or unrecognized country.
10. Dubious accreditation is claimed from a real country or national agency.
11. The school claims accreditation and the right to confer degrees due to wording in the school's articles of incorporation
OTHER FALSE OR MISLEADING CLAIMS
12. The institution is certified by disreputable or incompetent credential checking services.
13. The school misuses the concept of state licensing.
14. The institution points to inclusion on an impressive-looking compiled list of universities.
15. The school lies about or misstates its age.
16. An institution writes about an earlier use of its building as if it were its own.
17. The school confuses the city with the university.
18. The school provides information about the legitimacy of awarding life/work experience credit, then abuses that process.
19. The institution claims that its critics (individuals, websites, and authors of books) are out to get it because they are run by fired employees or by persons who secretly own fake schools and are afraid of the competition.
20. The school pretends to be bigger than it is.
FALSE OR MISLEADING MEMBERSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS
21. Membership in real organizations--but ones that don't screen members.
22. The school implies legitimacy through United Nations-related organizations.
23. The institution claims affiliations with real schools.
24. The institution cites membership in nonexistent or bogus organizations.
25. The school rents space from an organization, then implies an affiliation.
26. The school puts out a list of businesses and agencies that have accepted and paid for its degrees.
FAKE OR MEANINGLESS DOCUMENTS
27. Use of Apostilles and notarized statements of all kinds.
28. Claims to have International Standards Organization 9001 or 9002 certification.
29. Misstatement of nonprofit status.
30. Misusing the certificate or incorporation.
31. Misusing other kinds of certificates.
32. Misusing a "certificate of good standing" (CGS).
MISLEADING RECOMMENDATIONS AND LINKS
33. Better Business Bureau membership.
34. BBB imitations.
35. Business organizations.
36. Inclusion in "official" directories that list everyone.
37. Inclusion in the official Norwegian Higher Institution Registry.
38. Fake referral services.
39. Bogus or self-interest reference books.
40. Offering legitimate certifications along with fake degrees.
41. Testimonials.
42. Posting positive comments on Internet forums and news groups.
THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THESE SCHOOLS
43. The faculty.
44. Administrators.
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
45. Paid search engine placements, often appearing with legitimate schools.
46. Banners, pop-up ads, and spam.
47. Advertisements in prestigious magazines (and use of "as advertised" labels elsewhere).
48. Stating that the university is not a diploma mill because "diploma mills are illegal."
49. Persuasive and aggressive telemarketing skills.
50. Offering a long menu of opportunities--the "package deal.
51. The "loophole."
52. Photographs with prominent people.
MISLEADING OR FAKE INTERNET PRESENCE
53. Flaunting the ".edu" extension.
54. Fake .edu and fake .ac addresses.
55. Spoofed websites.
56. Similar or identical names to real schools.
57. Setting up fake discussion forums and chat rooms.
58. Selected legitimate links to convey respectability.
THE TRAPPINGS OF REAL SCHOOLS
59. School paraphernalia.
60. Scholarships offered.
61. Fake course lists.
62. Map to a nonexistent campus.
63. Claims to offer a student loan program.
64. Detailed accounts of campus life.
65. A nonexistent "on-campus" option.
66. Nonexistent alumni association and alumni gatherings.
67. Picture of the diploma and transcript.
68. Support for charities.
69. Unnecessary follow-up questions.
70. "Branch campuses" worldwide, which are really alumni homes.
LINKS WITH WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE
71. Claims of famous alumni.
72. Inviting (and paying) a prominent person to speak at a gathering or graduation, then misstating the connection.
73. Big names as chancellors.
MISLEADING ACCEPTANCE OF DEGREE CLAIMS
74. Lists of businesses and organizations who have "accepted" the school for tuition reimbursement.
75. Misusing the Sosdian and Sharp study on the acceptance of distance degrees.
76. Claims of reciprocal, automatic recognition due to being a dependent territory of the motherland.
MISLEADING OR FAKE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
77. Fake pictures of the school's bjuilding(s).
78. Doctored photos of real buildings.
79. Prestigious sounding address.
80. A private mailbox (PMB) presented as "suite" or "floor" or "building number."
81. Facilities rented once, or rarely, portrayed as the campus.
82. Depicting a large building in which the school either rents one room or uses a mailbox or an "executive suites" service, as if it all belongs to the school.
83. Illegal activity associated with a legal school.
MISLEADING POLICIES
84. Claiming exclusivity: stating that only 5% of applications are accepted.
85. Not specifying which classes are required or how many units are required to graduate, or saying that "rare exceptions can be made."
86. Backdating diplomas.
87. Selling graduate honors and the GPA of choice.
88. Assuring the customer that "we'll always be here for you."
89. Using names of real universities no longer in existence.
90. Can earn more than one degree at a time.
91. Multilevel marketing combined with a degree mill.
92. "Order by midnight tonight!"
92 THINGS BAD AND FAKE SCHOOLS DO
TO MISLEAD PEOPLE
This list of 'red flags' appears in our book, "Degree Mills: the billion-dollar industry that has sold over a million fake diplomas" (Copyright by Allen Ezell and John Bear.) This list may be copied and distributed, as long as the source is given.
ACCREDITATION CLAIMS
1. Accreditation is claimed from a fake or unrecognized agency.
2. The fake or unrecognized accreditor also accredits legitimate schools.
3. The accreditor offers a confirming telephone service or "hot line" to assure people that a given school is accredited.
4. The school claims that, as a global or international university, it doesn't require accreditation and/or government approval from any single government agency.
5. The school explains at length why accreditation is not important or is relevant only for student loans.
6. The school claims that Harvard and Oxford aren't accredited either.
7. Accreditation is correctly claimed, but from a placer where the word is used in quit different ways.
8. The school claims that accreditation is impossible because of the separation of church and state.
9. The school lists approval or accreditation from a fake or unrecognized country.
10. Dubious accreditation is claimed from a real country or national agency.
11. The school claims accreditation and the right to confer degrees due to wording in the school's articles of incorporation
OTHER FALSE OR MISLEADING CLAIMS
12. The institution is certified by disreputable or incompetent credential checking services.
13. The school misuses the concept of state licensing.
14. The institution points to inclusion on an impressive-looking compiled list of universities.
15. The school lies about or misstates its age.
16. An institution writes about an earlier use of its building as if it were its own.
17. The school confuses the city with the university.
18. The school provides information about the legitimacy of awarding life/work experience credit, then abuses that process.
19. The institution claims that its critics (individuals, websites, and authors of books) are out to get it because they are run by fired employees or by persons who secretly own fake schools and are afraid of the competition.
20. The school pretends to be bigger than it is.
FALSE OR MISLEADING MEMBERSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS
21. Membership in real organizations--but ones that don't screen members.
22. The school implies legitimacy through United Nations-related organizations.
23. The institution claims affiliations with real schools.
24. The institution cites membership in nonexistent or bogus organizations.
25. The school rents space from an organization, then implies an affiliation.
26. The school puts out a list of businesses and agencies that have accepted and paid for its degrees.
FAKE OR MEANINGLESS DOCUMENTS
27. Use of Apostilles and notarized statements of all kinds.
28. Claims to have International Standards Organization 9001 or 9002 certification.
29. Misstatement of nonprofit status.
30. Misusing the certificate or incorporation.
31. Misusing other kinds of certificates.
32. Misusing a "certificate of good standing" (CGS).
MISLEADING RECOMMENDATIONS AND LINKS
33. Better Business Bureau membership.
34. BBB imitations.
35. Business organizations.
36. Inclusion in "official" directories that list everyone.
37. Inclusion in the official Norwegian Higher Institution Registry.
38. Fake referral services.
39. Bogus or self-interest reference books.
40. Offering legitimate certifications along with fake degrees.
41. Testimonials.
42. Posting positive comments on Internet forums and news groups.
THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THESE SCHOOLS
43. The faculty.
44. Administrators.
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
45. Paid search engine placements, often appearing with legitimate schools.
46. Banners, pop-up ads, and spam.
47. Advertisements in prestigious magazines (and use of "as advertised" labels elsewhere).
48. Stating that the university is not a diploma mill because "diploma mills are illegal."
49. Persuasive and aggressive telemarketing skills.
50. Offering a long menu of opportunities--the "package deal.
51. The "loophole."
52. Photographs with prominent people.
MISLEADING OR FAKE INTERNET PRESENCE
53. Flaunting the ".edu" extension.
54. Fake .edu and fake .ac addresses.
55. Spoofed websites.
56. Similar or identical names to real schools.
57. Setting up fake discussion forums and chat rooms.
58. Selected legitimate links to convey respectability.
THE TRAPPINGS OF REAL SCHOOLS
59. School paraphernalia.
60. Scholarships offered.
61. Fake course lists.
62. Map to a nonexistent campus.
63. Claims to offer a student loan program.
64. Detailed accounts of campus life.
65. A nonexistent "on-campus" option.
66. Nonexistent alumni association and alumni gatherings.
67. Picture of the diploma and transcript.
68. Support for charities.
69. Unnecessary follow-up questions.
70. "Branch campuses" worldwide, which are really alumni homes.
LINKS WITH WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE
71. Claims of famous alumni.
72. Inviting (and paying) a prominent person to speak at a gathering or graduation, then misstating the connection.
73. Big names as chancellors.
MISLEADING ACCEPTANCE OF DEGREE CLAIMS
74. Lists of businesses and organizations who have "accepted" the school for tuition reimbursement.
75. Misusing the Sosdian and Sharp study on the acceptance of distance degrees.
76. Claims of reciprocal, automatic recognition due to being a dependent territory of the motherland.
MISLEADING OR FAKE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
77. Fake pictures of the school's bjuilding(s).
78. Doctored photos of real buildings.
79. Prestigious sounding address.
80. A private mailbox (PMB) presented as "suite" or "floor" or "building number."
81. Facilities rented once, or rarely, portrayed as the campus.
82. Depicting a large building in which the school either rents one room or uses a mailbox or an "executive suites" service, as if it all belongs to the school.
83. Illegal activity associated with a legal school.
MISLEADING POLICIES
84. Claiming exclusivity: stating that only 5% of applications are accepted.
85. Not specifying which classes are required or how many units are required to graduate, or saying that "rare exceptions can be made."
86. Backdating diplomas.
87. Selling graduate honors and the GPA of choice.
88. Assuring the customer that "we'll always be here for you."
89. Using names of real universities no longer in existence.
90. Can earn more than one degree at a time.
91. Multilevel marketing combined with a degree mill.
92. "Order by midnight tonight!"