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| Education
June 11 2018

Graduation selfies leading to surge in first-class fake degrees

The Times reports that graduating students are being asked not to take a 'selfie' with their certificates to share online. This request is an attempt to prevent Diploma mill leveraging the images to commit fraud.  The “selfie generation” of students who are about to graduate have been urged not to post pictures of themselves posing with their diplomas online to stem the trade in fake certificates.

The warning has come from Jayne Rowley, director of the Higher Education Degree Datacheck (HEDD). The service aims to protect the legitimacy of degrees and other higher education qualifications by authenticating universities and other awarding bodies and allowing employers to verify a candidate’s academic credentials.

The number of forgeries is estimated to have risen by up to 30 per cent in the past year. The most accurate, which are sold online for about £220 and can be used to deceive prospective employers, are considered such a threat that 20 universities, including Cardiff and Imperial College London, are offering digital certificates that cannot be faked. Graduates give companies a login to access a copy and check the credentials.