Millions of unemployed Americans are signing-up for online education with hopes of increasing their value to potential employers. Earning a diploma is one way of standing out from the crowd, but for many the first lesson is a bitter one: buyer beware.
Connecticut Better Business President, Paulette Scarpetti, warns that some consumers looking to get ahead are being taken-in by so-called “diploma mills.”
“While the majority of online schools are legitimate, a number of them are cheating their students out of their money, chances of increasing their appeal to potential employers and eligibility to enroll in accredited colleges and university.”
Although Internet-based courses are a convenient option for many people seeking to get a degree or otherwise continue their education, they can also provide a simple way for scammers to sell phony high school diplomas and college degrees.
Connecticut Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about four particular online diplomas mills:
Belford High School and Belford University
BBB serving Houston has received 117 complaints from students in more than 40 states, including Connecticut.
Students who signed up at belfordhighschool.com and belforduniversity.org were led to believe these were accredited institutions and that 99 percent of colleges would accept its diplomas. The students paid between $674 and $1,400 to earn a diploma by taking an online test or qualifying through “life experience.”
Most of the students realized the schools’ diplomas and degrees were worthless when they received the bad news from college admission departments or military recruiters, and some cases, during job interviews.
Jefferson High School Online and Vencer School Online
BBB has received complaints from consumers in Texas, Ohio and South Carolina, saying they passed Jefferson’s online test and paid more than $200 to receive an online diploma. When they used the school’s diploma to try and enroll in college they were told it was not valid.
This company also had students complete an online questionnaire to assess their life experience, including what type of music they like and how physically active they are. After the online questionnaire the students are given a multiple choice test in language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. If students answer a question incorrectly, they are offered three more attempts to select the correct answer from the four possible alternative answers.
BBB cites several red flags to help identify diploma mills:
•Degrees or diplomas are awarded based on “life experience” and require very little or no work.
•The institution guarantees a degree within a few days, weeks or months.
•The school offers deals for students who sign up to receive more than one degree at a time, such as one low price for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
•Addresses for administration buildings are post office boxes or suite numbers.
•Prices are based per degree rather than per credit hour.
Always check out a prospective online school at www.bbb.org and make sure the institution in which you are enrolling is accredited by one of six education accreditation boards. The U.S. Department of Education had a database of accredited post-secondary schools at http://ope.ed.gov/
