A slew of fake degree scandals in Kerala has put the spotlight on online rackets which are engaged in preparing forged certificates of popular universities in India as well as abroad. A recent investigation into the fake certificate racket confirmed that numerous websites are being operated exclusively for issuing these forged documents within a few days. Challenging the higher education system, online rackets engaged in preparing forged certificates of leading universities are thriving, shows a search on the internet.
A search on social media with key words such as degree, PG, BTech or distance education would attract innumerable notifications. These advertisements on social media promise to grant degrees including LLB through online courses within six months. Some offer assistance for credit transfer. Others arrange degrees, PG certificates and even PhD from reputed foreign universities. However, high amounts are charged for these certificates.
The response to calls made to the phone numbers on the advertisements is similar to that of the fraudsters in Kerala: “We will arrange everything. There is a guarantee for the certificate. You don’t have to study or write the exam. Only pay the amount.”
Dedicated apps too
Several students joining educational institutions outside Kerala waste time in 'extracurricular' activities, resulting in failure in exams. Such students often search online forums seeking options to earn a fake degree certificate to mislead their parents and are suggested to utilise certificate generator apps.
These apps help users to create a certificate of their preferred university on their own. The first step to obtain a degree certificate from the apps is to provide your basic details and the name of the Vice-Chancellor to appear on the certificate. Subsequently, the certificate could be downloaded and printed. Such certificates lack holograms or other official seals, but people who have no means to cough up tens of thousands of rupees seek the help of these apps.
Fast-track degree
Dr Shino P Jose, an Academic Council member of Kannur University and a faculty at St Pius X College, Rajapuram in Kasaragod, carried out an investigation into the online firms offering fake degrees. Jose said that he was aware of degree certificates being issued on a fast-track basis by universities. However, Jose was surprised that thousands of online firms promised to arrange degrees on a fast-track.
“A simple ‘Hi’ on a phone number in the online advertisements will be followed by a flood of messages. They offer to issue a certificate for a three-year degree course within two years. Some promise PG and PhD also,” said Jose.
The term ‘credit transfer’ mentioned in the National Education Policy (NEP) is widely utilised by these firms, which promise easy online exams. They also offer help to write the exams. Many of these firms have offices at Kochi and Thrissur. Incidentally, even some institutions conducting off-campus courses and distance education centres of reputed universities engage in fraud.
The fees charged by such operators are Rs 45,000 for BA, Rs 50,000 for BCom and Rs 60,000 for BBA. The initial payment is Rs 10,000. Those who join are promised degrees from some universities in North India. The firms also offer help to secure equivalency certificates from Kannur and Kerala Universities. They claim that the degrees are recognised by the UGC, PSC, UPSC and even foreign universities. The fraudsters are mostly Kerala and speak the language sweetly.
Ironically, students can pursue similar courses in government and aided arts and science colleges in Kerala at negligible fees. However, parents of students pay huge fees to these fraudsters while a large number of seats remain vacant in the government and aided colleges.
How originals are matched
‘Manorama’ randomly checked a sample certificate of CUSAT (Cochin University of Science and Technology) of 2012 displayed on an online site offering fake degree certificates. It had register number 1408**** APR 2011, 1408**** APR 2012 and Serial number 0058***. (The asterisks are given to ensure privacy).
A copy of this fake certificate was sent to CUSAT by this correspondent for verification and the reply was shocking. A student had written the exam in the same register number in 2012. That candidate had studied at an engineering college at Kidangoor in Pala, but had not passed the exam. At the same time, a degree certificate with the same serial number as the one on the fake certificate had been issued to another student who had passed the exam. In short, the fake certificate on the website carried the registration number of a real student who had failed in the exam and the serial number of another genuine student who had passed.
How did the fraudsters obtain real registration and serial numbers?
MA for Arasummoottil Appukkuttan!
‘Yodha’ is a classic Malayalam movie which had a character named Arasummoottil Appukkuttan. When this correspondent contacted a fake certificate website using this name, an MA certificate was ready. In the movie, Appukkuttan loses a music contest at the village temple, but is awarded an MA in Music by the online fraud university.
Two websites offering to print certificates of any university for payments in dollars of euro were willing to issue the certificate to Appukkuttan. A sample of the certificate was sent online by these websites and for a printed certificate with hologram to be dispatched by post, the demand was Euro 379 (Rs 32,973).
‘Manorama’ contacted several websites simultaneously with names such as Appukkuttan and Mangalassery Neelakandan (another movie character) and was promised fake degrees of not only Indian universities such as Manipal, Annamalai and Kannur but also the foreign institutions Oxford, Harvard and Cambridge.
When you click on the template of any university displayed on the website, there would be a query on the degree you need. Next, details such as name and subject are sought. Subsequently, a sample will be sent by email and printed certificate in 15 to 30 days. In the comment box of these websites, several people have praised the services.
Quite a few people secure these fake certificates for framing and displaying at home. Others wish to boost their image before marriage with an additional degree.
A sample procedure
The following steps were taken by ‘Arasummoottil Appukkuttan’ to obtain a fake MA degree:
• Enter a website which is notorious for preparing fake certificates that can vie with the original.
• Choose Oxford from among the templates of numerous universities displayed;
• When name and other details were typed in, the website said that the ‘real’ certificate would be sent by post within five business days. This correspondent clicked the option for sample;
Within a day, the sample was received by email. The certificate looked genuine, with a hologram. However, the name and degree were placed below the certificate. They would be inserted inside the certificate only on payment of the ‘fees.’
This is the second part of a five-part series on the fake degree menace in Kerala. Read Part 1: How fake degree certificate menace is wrecking Kerala’s higher education sector
