Center busted for fake US diplomas

Center busted for fake US diplomas

• Source: Global Times
• [09:32 March 16 2011]
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Haidian police detained four suspects after raiding a training center accused of falsifying their affiliation with American universities and selling fake diplomas.

The company conned at lease 30 people of tens of thousands of yuan for a fake diploma, Haidian police revealed Tuesday, according to the Beijing Daily.

A woman surnamed Li signed up online last August for classes with the center located on Zhongguancunbei Dajie. The company claimed itself to be affiliated with a US state university and Li eligible to receive a doctorate from the school, the Beijing Daily reported.

Li paid a total of 160,000 yuan ($24,329)in fees, and was told to pay another 30,000 yuan for the diploma in January, which required approval from China's education authorities, according to the report.

Li received a diploma as promised, but her family doubted the authenticity of the certificate and reported to the Haidian police in late January.

Police found that diploma was counterfeit and the US university nonexistent, according to the Beijing Evening News.

The manager, surnamed Wu, told police he had enrolled over 30 students, among which five, including Li, had received a diploma sold for a few thousand yuan, reported the paper.

Global Times