Buying fake degrees and their usage in employment as well as achieving particular rights on the basis of such degrees is a considerable problem in many countries but only a few of them made legal provisions for protective measures.
The largest number of companies which sell such degrees (diploma mills) operate on the United States territory where the investigation revealed that more than 400 federal employees held degrees from unaccredited institutions and whereupon this problem came into focus again.
At the press conference held on 27 January 2010 in Washington, D.C. during the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s annual conference, U.S. congressman Tim Bishop announced a bill (Diploma and Accreditation Integrity Protection Act) that would define the meaning of accredited institutions as well as “diploma mills” and measures which could be taken against such institutions.
More than 300 participants from 32 countries met at the CHEA annual conference to hear leaders from government, U.S. and international higher education institutions, accrediting organizations and higher education associations address a range of issues including accreditation, quality assurance and accountability; combating degree mills and accreditation mills; and quality assurance practices in countries around the world. CHEA applauds this legislation as a measure to protect the integrity of credentials offered by legitimate institutions, recognised institutions holding a valid accreditation, which will benefit students and employers.
Apart from being fraudulent and worthless degrees tricking people out of hard-earned money and deceiving employers by falsely claiming an attained level of skills and achievements these diploma mills also create critical issues of personal and national security via their issuance of fraudulent scientific degrees that can be utilized to obtain entrance visas into the United States.
More information on this issue could be found on the following web pages:
CHEA Applauds Introduction of Legislation to Combat Diploma Mills and Accreditation Mills
Diploma and Accreditation Integrity Protection Act
Fraud U: Toppling a Bogus-Diploma Empire
New Bill in Congress Would Make Diploma Mills a Federal Concern
Rep. Bishop announces bill to stop diploma mills