Fake degrees

[Camelot1971]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42579634

I don't get why someone would spend (in some cases) hundreds of thousands on a fake bit of paper. Surely submitting a degree from the "Belford University" would set alarm bells ringing for any employer that required a degree.

[austinsmirk]

Typically my experience (in't norf of Yorkshire) is there are plenty of physical fake colleges/academies etc about issuing them.

usually proven to be fronts for drug importation too. heroin sewn into prayer mats and so on.


Mind you when you interview such candidates for jobs, eg admin, waving a 1st class law degree about and they can barely write their own name, its pretty obvious.

[King Herald]

Near where I lived in the Philippines there is a place you can get any document you want copied, faked or forged. Offshore tickets, marine licenses, driving licenses, degrees, passports, anything that man has made can be copied, perfectly.

Several guys in my company were found to have fake seaman’s tickets when investigations were made. In fact a good percentage of the myriad seamen and workers who emerge from the Philippines have their career based on fake papers.

And you don’t have to pay anything near as feckin’ stupid as half a million quid!

[telecat]

King Herald said:

Near where I lived in the Philippines there is a place you can get any document you want copied, faked or forged. Offshore tickets, marine licenses, driving licenses, degrees, passports, anything that man has made can be copied, perfectly.

Several guys in my company were found to have fake seaman’s tickets when investigations were made. In fact a good percentage of the myriad seamen and workers who emerge from the Philippines have their career based on fake papers.

And you don’t have to pay anything near as feckin’ stupid as half a million quid!

Causes problems in the NHS where many Nurses qualifications are not worth the paper they are written on. Then of course there is the problem of Indian pilots getting extra hours or type qualifications they are not entitled to either. Now that's a good reason not to fly there.

[Taaaaang]

I can see why some people would resort to this, especially those caught outside the era of "everyone goes to university" that find it hard to get past the gatekeeper for jobs without a degree.

[sanguinary]

Taaaaang said:

I can see why some people would resort to this, especially those caught outside the era of "everyone goes to university" that find it hard to get past the gatekeeper for jobs without a degree.

People want it all. Now, not tomorrow.

I did not go to University. I could not walk off the street and expect to be considered for my job - in fact my employer would probably seek a certain level of candidate (I would hope! ). However, I've spent the last 20 years working to the point I can demonstrate my competency and experience.

The number of people I interview, or read their CVs, wanting the world on a stick increases every time I advertise a new role.

One member of staff (straight out of college) left after 3 weeks on the shop floor, when he realised he 'wouldn't be sitting in my chair' as he put it, within a year.

[DJFish]

Taaaaang said:

I can see why some people would resort to this, especially those caught outside the era of "everyone goes to university" that find it hard to get past the gatekeeper for jobs without a degree.

I'm finding this at the moment, two decades of experience count for nowt if you can't get past the first stage of an online application, especially true with US firms.
I never thought I'd say it but recruitment consultants are worth their weight in gold in these instances.

[Lotobear]

..does this thread also extend to equestrian studies, poetry, drama, forensic science and media studies degrees?

[kev1974]

DJFish said:

Taaaaang said:

I can see why some people would resort to this, especially those caught outside the era of "everyone goes to university" that find it hard to get past the gatekeeper for jobs without a degree.

I'm finding this at the moment, two decades of experience count for nowt if you can't get past the first stage of an online application, especially true with US firms.
I never thought I'd say it but recruitment consultants are worth their weight in gold in these instances.

This, I can see why people might resort to fake degrees to get past dumb HR department front-line robots classifying a random degree over a couple of decades of useful experience!

[King Herald]

Lotobear said:

..does this thread also extend to equestrian studies, poetry, drama, forensic science and media studies degrees?

Let me know which qualification you want, I’ll phone my buddy in Manila and get you sorted.


http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/17/world/asia/phili...

[Dog Star]

kev1974 said:

This, I can see why people might resort to fake degrees to get past dumb HR department front-line robots classifying a random degree over a couple of decades of useful experience!

I have a degree in computer science, I have 26 years experience as an analyst/programmer/tester - the last 15 have been in software test and dev. However to get past recruiters, many of who are thick as mince and have no idea what they are asking for, you will often get asked for an "ISEB" - these are a pretty low level certificate - especially compared to a degree, decades of experience with some big clients and excellent references. However if you haven't got one you aren't getting past the recruiter. I haven't got one. But I just say "yes" if asked by the agency. Gets me past the recruiter and in no case has the actual employer wanted it.

[Mr Pointy]

Dog Star said:

kev1974 said:

This, I can see why people might resort to fake degrees to get past dumb HR department front-line robots classifying a random degree over a couple of decades of useful experience!

I have a degree in computer science, I have 26 years experience as an analyst/programmer/tester - the last 15 have been in software test and dev. However to get past recruiters, many of who are thick as mince and have no idea what they are asking for, you will often get asked for an "ISEB" - these are a pretty low level certificate - especially compared to a degree, decades of experience with some big clients and excellent references. However if you haven't got one you aren't getting past the recruiter. I haven't got one. But I just say "yes" if asked by the agency. Gets me past the recruiter and in no case has the actual employer wanted it.

Do you reveal you haven't got that qualification? If not you could be have problems if someone decides to cause you trouble.

[Dog Star]

Mr Pointy said:

Do you reveal you haven't got that qualification? If not you could be have problems if someone decides to cause you trouble.

I don't think you appreciate what a basic document it is. It's also not really relevant these days - this was a good few years ago. It's somewhat top-trumped by everything else, tbh. It's superseded these days but it was a fifty question multiple guess thing - it was simply a box ticking exercise by recruiters, and as anyone knows who has worked in IT, getting past these people can be impossible. Nobody I ever worked for insisted on an ISEB. It was. however a good way to have your wallet lightened by several hundred quid.

Another classic from IT recruiters - and I've had this myself - "must have six months experience with DG-UX". "I have 20 years experience with Red Hat, Tru-64, HP-UX blah blah blah". "Well I'm sorry, it says here that you must have DG-UX for six months". That's the level of person that you have to get past. (for the non-IT minded, the above is akin to advertising for a chauffeur, but insisting that they have six months Vauxhall driving experience, and turning away people with decades of other manufacturers).

However my case above is trivial - it's a different kettle of fish from a doctor, nurse, airline pilot etc etc where there are real safety concerns.

[jjlynn27]

Lotobear said:

..does this thread also extend to equestrian studies, poetry, drama, forensic science and media studies degrees?

• extends

Usually asked by people without a degree or with the diploma from the University of refrigeration. Some of those are not trivial. Does it make you feel less of a failure when you type above?

[Lotobear]

...ahh so you have media studies from Grey Buildings Ring Road University then Lynn?

[DJFish]

Did anyone happen to catch the Christmas version of university challenge?
The contestants were a 50/50 mix of people who had gone on to excel in their fields of study & those who chose something completely different, Bruce Dickinson being a case in point.
Not that his time studying for a history degree were wasted years (pun intended).....

[Hoofy]

Lotobear said:

...ahh so you have media studies from Grey Buildings Ring Road University then Lynn?

Steady. Coventry Uni is well-respected.

Actually, I quite fancy a fake degree on an odd subject. Just read enough about it to know more than the average Joe and it will make for an amusing conversation.

[Lotobear]

This is an amusing take on the degree industry, with a serious side:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8utmmWoBSBY

[jimPH]

I quite fancy a career change, this sounds like just the ticket.

That said, recruiters for CHC nursing positions are always sending me emails. CHC in my job is a subsea flowline connector!

Edited by jimPH on Tuesday 16th January 15:42

[KrissKross]

Lotobear said:

This is an amusing take on the degree industry, with a serious side:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8utmmWoBSBY

I have just sent that to 3 people I know who have degrees and exactly the same attitude, they will hate me but its so true!