Having a high school diploma is essential if your plans include entering college, the military or the workforce. However, promises of getting that diploma with ease are being offered by fake online schools which have been identified as “diploma mills”. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning consumers to look for “red flags” when they are online looking for schools.
Yesterday, at the request of the Federal Trade Commission a Federal Court Judge in Florida issued a temporary restraining order against two organizations that the FTC has identified as “diploma mills.” According to the FTC over the past several years these fake schools have defrauded individuals out of more than 11 million dollars.
Individuals are told you can graduate and earn an “official” diploma by completing their multiple choice test and paying $200-300. These schools exist solely to make money, not to provide an education.
“There are legitimate online schools out there,” says Dennis Horton, director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau. “However, in order to find these schools and not get scammed, be sure to look up the program on the BBB website.”
Horton, noted, “These schools often claim to be “accredited” however their accreditation comes from other fraudulent accreditation organizations that they have set-up.
Here are ways to spot a “diploma mill”:
• If you see diplomas that are awarded based on “life experience” and require very little or no work.
• The website guarantees you will receive a diploma within a few days, weeks or months.
• Addresses are for administration buildings that include P.O. boxes or suite numbers.
• Prices are stated per diploma instead of per credit hour.
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