Are institutions offering fraudulent or substandard degrees really a problem?
Defrauding the public by offering fraudulent or substandard degrees is a crime. Worldwide the problem is huge but, being an illegal activity, its cost to the public is difficult to determine. It has been estimated that this industry generates a half billion dollars a year. That figure does not include the loss of money and time by employers deceived when fraudulent degree holders are hired, promoted, or given raises; by state licensing agencies and employers, both public and private, to screen out fraudulent degrees; and by the public depending on the false claims of the fraudulent degree-holders when purchasing goods and services. In addition, the public is endangered when fraudulent degree-holders obtain employment in criminal justice agencies, or in public and private schools or health fields, such as medicine, nursing, or public health.
