How to Avoid Being Scammed by Diploma Mills

Jullie Harvard

Diploma mills are the companies that offering various worthless degrees which most of these degrees are not accepted in the job market. If you are planning to pursue your degree online, get the most information about diploma mills can help you to avoid being scam by those diploma mills. You need to know how to spot them, detect any potential signs and avoid them with your best efforts.

Accreditation: Quality Assurance of Online Degree Program

The rule of thumb, if you want your degree to be accepted by most of companies in the job market, then, you should earn your degree from an accredited online school. As public awareness about accreditation is increased, many diploma mills do claim accreditation in order for them to stay in business. Hence, you must be very careful when checking for accreditation of online school. “Real” accredited online schools are accredited by an accrediting agency that is recognized by Department of Education and this accrediting agency is listed in accreditation database at Council for Higher Education Accreditation website (CHEA.org); whereas, the accrediting agency that accredited diploma mills are “fake” and you won’t find it listed in any of government recognized database.

Before your sign up any online degree program, always confirm the accreditation information from CHEA.org. This is to ensure you are getting a degree that is worth the value and accepted by most employers in the job market.

Two Types of Diploma Mills

There are thousands of diploma mills in the market, but most of these diploma mills fall into these 2 categories:

1. Diploma mills openly sell degrees for cash

This is a directly transaction where the “schools” are offering their clients with a degree they required for cash. In this case, both the diploma mill and the recipient know that the degrees are illegitimate. The price for a degree may be as low as $9.99. No online classes needed to be attended, you pay the money and a degree will be delivered right to your door in short period of time. Many students are willing the pay the money to purchase these fake degrees because they are hoping that the employer will not aware that his degree is faked and will secure him with his dream job. Today, many employers are aware about the existing of fake degrees and they know how to confirm the legitimate of your degree. Hence, you know buying a degree with cash from diploma mill is definitely a scam, avoid it totally.

2. Diploma mills that pretend to be real schools

These types of scams are more dangerous because these diploma mills run the online schools similar to the real online school. They claim accreditation and have all the necessary support or admission officers who advise you on all the necessary degree program admission process. Everything looks similar to real schools and their degree programs sound more attractive in term of cost and time needed to complete your degree program.

Their students only need to complete minimum work in order to be awarded with a degree in very short amount of time, usually in several days to a few weeks. Many students are graduated from these diploma mills even not aware that their degree is a fake degree. Hence, if you are attracted by the degree program that sound too good which offer you with many pursuable guarantees; always put yourself in alert conditions and get all the information verified by the legitimate organizations such as Department of Education, CHEA (CHEA.org) and Better Business Bureau (BBB.org) before you enroll into the degree program.

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