Full article here – http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42579634
Extracts below:
Thousands of UK nationals have bought fake degrees from a multi-million-pound “diploma mill” in Pakistan, a BBC Radio 4’s File on Four programme investigation has found.
According to documents seen by BBC Radio 4’s File on Four programme, more than 3,000 fake Axact qualifications were sold to UK-based buyers in 2013 and 2014, including master’s degrees, doctorates and PhDs.
Higher Education Degree Datacheck (HEDD) chief executive Jayne Rowley said only 20% of UK employers ran proper checks on applicants’ qualifications.
But MP James Frith, a member of the Education Select Committee, said: “I am amazed that a business would put itself and its very existence at risk by having fraudulent qualifications to, by the sounds of it, get into a new market.”
The Department of Education said HEDD was taking a proactive approach.
“Degree fraud cheats both genuine learners and employers, so we’ve taken decisive action to crack down on those seeking to profit from it,” a spokesman said.
Qualifi COO, Ray Brogden is pleased to see that the unscrupulous activity of those associated with the sale, purchase and use of false degree documents is being tackled. Any employer or higher education institution with concerns regarding the validity of a Qualifi certificate presented to them is invited to contact us so that we can provide validity checks and confirm to whom the certificate was issued.