Your Learning Zone

• Education
• Mathematics
• Geography
• Environment

Fake Diploma Production on the Rise

USIS offers the DipScan database, a product designed to help employers determine whether a prospective employee's academic degree and credentials are legitimate.

Tulsa, OK (PRWEB) April 4, 2005 -- Colby Nolan, a six-year-old black cat, was recently awarded an MBA degree by Trinity Southern University. For a mere $299, Colby first received a bachelor’s degree based on past babysitting and retail management experience. Colby was then able to earn a master of business administration degree on the basis of past course work and a 3.5 grade-point average.

Trinity Southern University, based in Texas and operated by two brothers, is currently being sued for manufacturing and selling fake academic degrees. The situation, however, is not unusual, as illegitimate diploma mills are awarding thousands of fraudulent degrees each year. These diploma mills are skilled in creating false documentation, resulting in a number of educational institutions listed on applicant resumes viewed by human resource professionals on a daily basis. It is often difficult for HR professionals to be sure an applicant’s college or university degree is legitimate.

The cost of hiring unqualified applicants includes an increase in an employer’s training and turnover costs, as well as a decrease in employee productivity. Applicants who misrepresent information to get a job may never be trustworthy employees. Educational credentials can speak volumes about an individual’s motivation, initiative, qualifications, leadership abilities or lack thereof.

USIS, a nationwide leader in employment background screening, offers DipScan, a product that compares the educational institution listed by the applicant or employee against a database of non-GAAP (Generally Accepted Accrediting Principles) establishments. A “hit” from DipScan indicates the need to research the legitimacy of the school and whether any degree claimed meets the requirements for employment. USIS will then research the facility to determine whether it should be considered a degree mill, a legitimate school or something in between.

DipScan is the first and only product of its kind that contains a comprehensive list of diploma mills that will continue to be updated on a regular basis.

USIS, the largest investigative services company on the North American continent, offers a wide array of services for security and employment screening decisions which include employment background screening, workplace substance abuse programs, criminal history records, employment, education and license verifications, reference checking, driving records, credit reports, and more.

USIS is headquartered in Annandale, Penn. and maintains regional business centers in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Albuquerque, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Additionally, USIS maintains 7,000 dedicated and highly trained full-time employees who operate from more than 185 locations through out the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U. S. Virgin Islands.

For more information about USIS, please visit www.usis.com.

This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.