(EMAILWIRE.COM, May 20, 2009 )
Most education experts agree that earning a good reputation is one of the biggest obstacles for online degree programs today. Many accredited online universities offer hardworking adults solid educations and an excellent learning experience. Thanks to the problems caused by fake degree scams and diploma mills, though, many accredited online degree programs are getting a bad rap.

Although a few diploma mills have been in the news lately, the majority of people have never heard of them, and even fewer people know how to identify a diploma mill from an accredited degree program. Because of this, some employers are becoming even less trustful of online degree programs, and are being very cautious about hiring people with online degrees.

Spotting a fake degree scam or diploma mill is often much easier than you might think. First, if the university demands contact entirely by phone or email, and demands that you submit your documents via email and refuse to give you a physical address, this can be a red flag.

In addition, if an online degree program offers you a degree based solely on credit for "life experience", without being expected to do any course work, the program is almost certainly unaccredited. Don’t expect to pay several hundreds or thousands of dollars and earn a college degree a few weeks after you apply. Legitimate universities just don’t work that way.

Finally, if you search online using a major search engine, you will often find results from Wikipedia or education boards warning people about these universities. Most importantly, however, check out the college’s accreditation. Many quality consultation sites, such as www.Degree.com, refuse to even list unaccredited colleges or universities, so that potential students aren’t misled by these scams.

If they can’t prove they’re accredited through an agency approved by the U.S. Department of Education, don’t spend your money. (For a complete list of accrediting agencies authorized by the Department of Education, visit http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg7.html).
Sacramento, California May 20, 2006

Recently, some scam artists have been offering to sell students degrees from accredited traditional and online universities. They forge degree certificates and transcripts with the student’s name, and the student then holds a degree certificate stating that he or she has graduated from an accredited online university or traditional college degree program.

These schemes can be a little harder to spot, but the forgeries usually aren’t of professional quality, and the certificates don’t look quite right. Furthermore, be aware that in the U.S. it is illegal to use forged documents to get a job, and you might find yourself in some serious trouble if you try this approach.

Earning a degree from an accredited online degree program may take a little longer, but it's worth the extra investment of time and money. Don’t ruin your reputation and your career by turning to a fake degree scam. Make sure the degree program from which you graduate is an accredited online university. You’ll be glad you did.

Contact Information:
Degree.com
Sheila Danzig
Tel: 954.445.0107
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