Always keep your eyes open to recognizing diploma mills and phony degree programs. Here is a list of points to keep in mind before choosing your course with any college or university.

– The Department of Education releases a list of accredited universities and educational institutions both at the regional and national level. Ensure the institutions in your list find a place in it.

– Those institutions which are not recognized by the Department of Education will not be considered by the US Higher Education….

MORE >>>> http://www.globaleducationsearch.com/fake-colleges/diploma-mills-warning-signs/

More than 15 years have gone by, but Leslie Stanford remembers how it felt to complete the correspondence course that stood between her and a GED.

“I was ecstatic,” Stanford said, looking over the official-looking “diploma” that arrived in the mail a short time later. “I’m like, ‘Finally, I can get a better job. I can go back to school and do whatever I want to now.’ ”

Stanford, who paid about $200 for the course, said she had no reason to question the validity of the diploma or the institution that awarded it. Although Clarmont School was based in Coral Springs, Fla., it maintained what school documents described as a “branch” in Columbus.

No one else questioned the diploma, either — until recently.

A few months ago, as part of a routine inspection, state workers showed up at a day-care center where Stanford had been working for years. Because of her fondness for the children and their parents, she considered it the perfect job.

The inspectors hadn’t heard of Clarmont. Further examination revealed that the now-defunct school was never chartered, or accredited, in Florida or Ohio. In other words, in the eyes of state regulators, the institution never existed.

The scenario is hardly new to officials with the Ohio Department of Education.

“A lot of these turn out to be scams or people trying to take advantage of somebody,” said Scott Blake, a spokesman for the agency.

Because Stanford’s GED — or general equivalency diploma — wasn’t deemed legitimate, the day-care center had to let her go.

“My administrator cried,” Stanford said. “I cried.”

Experts warn that schools offering bogus courses or fake degrees and diplomas are on the rise — at both the secondary and postsecondary levels — thanks in part to the growing popularity of legitimate distance-learning programs that offer instruction via the Internet.

How can students make sure they’re getting the education they’re paying for?

The Federal Trade Commission says diploma mills tend to have telltale marketing pitches:

• “Get a degree for your experience.” Legitimate schools might confer a few credits for a specific life or work experience but not a degree.

• “No studies, no exams, no attendance.” Accredited institutions, including online schools, require substantial course work.

• “Pay a flat fee.” Most reputable schools charge by the credit, course or semester.

• “Click here to order now!” Accredited schools generally don’t resort to spam or high-pressure telemarketing.

Now that she’s learned a painful lesson, Stanford intends to obtain her GED through a school recognized by the state.

The 37-year-old Columbus resident is confident she’ll bounce back, but she wonders — and worries — about other Clarmont “graduates” who’ve yet to find out that their diplomas are essentially worthless.

source: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/05/24/Consumer10_052409.ART_ART_05-24-09_D5_DMDTQJG.html

There are literally hundreds of online schools that offer legitimate online courses, degrees, and diplomas. Unfortunately, however, there is also a big bucket full of diploma mills, and outright fakes. These fake schools claim to be accredited. The agency giving them accreditation is usually just as phony as the degree or diploma they are selling.

I am sure that getting a quick diploma may be tempting to some people. Really, what could be better than just paying $200 or $300 getting the diploma, and that’s it. You would have to take no classes, no labs, no tests, and no credit requirements. It’s a “no brainer”, literally.

Are you aware that these diploma mills are well known and easily found out? If you attempt to get a good job, or enter college with one of these fake diplomas, you are taking a huge risk. Apart from the embarrassment of getting your fraud discovered, you may actually be committing a crime. You are committing fraud, and if I was an employer, or school being defrauded by someone with fake credentials, I would definitely prosecute you in court. Of course, I would immediately fire you or expel you from my college.

I have a Master’s Degree from a legitimate online university. I can tell you honestly, that I worked my butt off for that piece of paper. Virtually every assignment in every class was an essay, or long major paper. The program was writing intensive, and quite challenging for me. I was “forced” to speak in online classroom discussions. My scores depended on participation. There was no nodding in the back of a huge lecture hall.

I have little sympathy for someone who tries to take a short cut to their diploma or degree. You may get that piece of paper, but let’s face it. You also need the knowledge. You are only cheating yourself.

Here is an something interesting. The Spokesman Review, of Spokane, Washington ran an article in Sept. 09 publicly listing the names of people who got phony diplomas, and degrees from diploma mills. This is a list you definitely want to avoid.

source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Accredited-Online-High-School-Diploma-Fake-School-Alert&id=2881306

It’s time to head back to school for many students and the Better Business Bureau is warning consumers against online programs that offer fast and easy high school diplomas or college degrees.

As millions struggle to find a job, earning a diploma or an advanced degree is one way to stand out from the crowd, but some students found out the hard way that the diploma they thought they earned online wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on.

Distance learning and online-based classes have become an increasingly popular option for students of all ages.

According to a 2008 survey from the Sloan Consortium and Babson Survey Research Group, 3.9 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in 2007, a 12 percent increase over the previous year. More than 20 percent of higher education students were taking at least one online course.

Unfortunately, not all institutions offering online diplomas or degrees are legitimate and individuals looking to get ahead are being duped by diploma mills.

“Education is one of the keys to advancing in life and having a diploma or advanced degree can certainly make a difference when it comes to getting into college or landing a higher-paying job,” said Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. “While the Internet facilitates learning through online curriculum, it also makes it easier for scammers to shill their phony high school diplomas and college degrees.”

The BBB cites the following red flags to help identify diploma mills:

• Degrees or diplomas are awarded based on “life experience” and require very little or no work.

• The institution guarantees you will receive a degree or diploma within a few days, weeks or months.

• The institution offers deals if you sign up to receive more than one degree at a time, such as a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree for one low price.

• Addresses for administration buildings include post office boxes or suite numbers.

• Prices are stated per degree instead of per credit hour.

Evolution of Internet has dramatically transformed the educational scenario all over the world. It is no more necessary for anyone to proceed to the brick and concrete land based educational institutions to get their degrees. Thanks to the advent of distant learning, online degree is now available for academic aspirants.

Popularity of the distant education institutions that provide a student with online degree is rapidly growing. Many leading universities of United States and across the world are now providing distant education for those who cannot afford to attain the regular class room education because they are otherwise engaged during those times. Thus degrees that were once beyond the reach of such people have now become easy to achieve.

A host of Internet sources are now available for obtaining the online degree. These sources include the accredited Universities, reputed institutions, schools, and colleges. However one has to be very careful about the selection since there are also galaxies of fake institutions who only intend to deprive the aspirants of their hard earned money. These are those Diploma Mills online that print out degrees simply on payments without any other requirements. Unfortunately, such degrees and diplomas have little intrinsic value and may not help in career building.

Online Degree provides the recipient with numerous advantages. Education seekers that are restricted by time and resources or even transportation facilities are now able to advance their career and qualifications using this form of education. While online Universities are aggressively pursuing the students for adopting one of their courses it is necessary for you to identify the institution that would be tailor made for your requirements and budget. Several factors like cost, certifications, qualifying requirements, and exams will determine the usefulness of the online education site. Best course would be to obtain information from a reputed and reliable website for online education.

source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Online-Degree-by-Distant-Learning&id=2427398

Don’t waste your time or your money on a fake degree scam. Learn the difference between an accredited online degree university and a diploma mill. Make sure the online degree program you choose is accredited.

Most education experts agree that earning a good reputation is one of the biggest obstacles for online degree programs today. Many accredited online universities offer hardworking adults solid educations and an excellent learning experience. Thanks to the problems caused by fake degree scams and diploma mills, though, many accredited online degree programs are getting a bad rap.

Although a few diploma mills have been in the news lately, the majority of people have never heard of them, and even fewer people know how to identify a diploma mill from an accredited degree program. Because of this, some employers are becoming even less trustful of online degree programs, and are being very cautious about hiring people with online degrees.

Spotting a fake degree scam or diploma mill is often much easier than you might think. First, if the university demands contact entirely by phone or email, and demands that you submit your documents via email and refuse to give you a physical address, this can be a red flag.

In addition, if an online degree program offers you a degree based solely on credit for “life experience”, without being expected to do any course work, the program is almost certainly unaccredited. Don’t expect to pay several hundreds or thousands of dollars and earn a college degree a few weeks after you apply. Legitimate universities just don’t work that way.

Finally, if you search online using a major search engine, you will often find results from Wikipedia or education boards warning people about these universities. Most importantly, however, check out the college’s accreditation. Many quality consultation sites, such as www.Degree.com, refuse to even list unaccredited colleges or universities, so that potential students aren’t misled by these scams.

If they can’t prove they’re accredited through an agency approved by the U.S. Department of Education, don’t spend your money. (For a complete list of accrediting agencies authorized by the Department of Education, visit http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg7.html).

Sacramento, California May 20, 2006

Recently, some scam artists have been offering to sell students degrees from accredited traditional and online universities. They forge degree certificates and transcripts with the student’s name, and the student then holds a degree certificate stating that he or she has graduated from an accredited online university or traditional college degree program.

These schemes can be a little harder to spot, but the forgeries usually aren’t of professional quality, and the certificates don’t look quite right. Furthermore, be aware that in the U.S. it is illegal to use forged documents to get a job, and you might find yourself in some serious trouble if you try this approach.

Earning a degree from an accredited online degree program may take a little longer, but it’s worth the extra investment of time and money. Don’t ruin your reputation and your career by turning to a fake degree scam. Make sure the degree program from which you graduate is an accredited online university. You’ll be glad you did.

source: http://scoop.degree.com/2009/05/20/how-to-spot-a-fake-online-degree-program/