Bogus Fake College Degrees

Anyone can do an internet search and people search for different information in different ways. There are many marketing entities that study the search habits of internet users and devise marketing strategies based on their findings. One kind of business that benefits from these studies is the bogus fake degree business.

There is an interesting article entitled, Why Current Laws on Diploma Mills Are Too Lax, which basically explains why these kinds of businesses proliferate. Consumers are led to believe that they can receive fake college degrees based on their work and life experiences. The diploma mills establishments lead them to believe that these experiences are equal to the rigors of academic learning and that they qualify the individual for a college or advanced degree. This is especially evident in online advertisements.

How do market researchers find out the kinds of searches people do? They use the Google Keyword Tool which is readily available to anyone from Google. Entering the term fake degree brings up a list showing the related phrases that people use to search for. You will find that many people do these kinds of searches and there are a lot of people looking for these kinds of services such as fake degree transcripts. Their buying patterns can not be determined from this information but this information feeds the advertising methods of the unaccredited degree institutions.

One of the more popular marketing programs is Google Adwords. Advertisers bid for search keywords. Programs like this are a part of the marketing strategy of many educational institutions and also unaccredited institutions. The consumer doesnt realize this. The top ten paid advertising positions are occupied by both kinds of institutions. Their internet search is yielding a combination of results for them with diploma mills mixed in with legitimate schools.

One such diploma mill was Kennedy-Western University which has since changed its name to Warren National University. They engaged in a legal battle with the state of Oregon over the restrictions the state tried to place of diploma mills. The result was a free speech lawsuit when Oregon tried to prevent individuals from using a fake diploma from an unaccredited school. Oregon is one of the states that has tried to do something about the diploma mill problem. The court agreed with Kennedy-Western University that there was a violation of free speech and violation of the personal rights of the students who used their Kennedy-Western fake degrees. The court rules that Oregon had to revise its laws. The students had the right to use their unaccredited degrees but had to disclose the fact that the degree was from an unaccredited school. The school has applied for accreditation since the ruling on the case.