180 Gulf residents named in bogus degree scam

BOGUS SCAM: More than 180 Gulf Arabs have been named as purchasing fake degrees over the internet. (Getty Images)

More than 180 people from across the Gulf have been blacklisted for holding fake US academic certificates allegedly bought from non-accredited institutions, including 69 from Saudi Arabia and 68 from the UAE.

Almost 10,000 people in total have been blacklisted by the US Department of Justice for purchasing fake high school and college degrees from a “degree mill” based in Washington.

According to reports, those named include hundreds of people with links to the US military, educational institutions, government and security agencies such as the CIA.

The fraud came to light following the indictment and conviction of eight people involved in running the scam after being apprehended by the US Attorney's Office in "Operation Gold Seal".

The ringleader of the scam, a 58-year-old high school dropout, has been jailed for three years.

The Department of Justice had refused to make the list public, but US newspaper The Spokesman-Review published the full list of names, where they come from, type of degree and institution on its website.

Buyers from Saudi Arabia and the UAE were the top purchasers of the certificates within the Gulf, with 13 Omani buyers, 12 Bahrainis and four Qataris also named.

To see the full list of names, click here.

According to media reports the buyers paid between a few hundred dollars for a bachelor’s degree up as much as $8,000 for a PhD.

According to The Spokesman-Review, the Department of Justice is considering prosecuting some of the buyers - an estimated 300 employees in the US federal government are named on the list.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Draughtsman becomes Architet
Posted by Engineer in Gulf, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday 27 December 2009 at 16:00 UAE time


I know a draughtsman who obtained an Architectural degree form a fake online university from U.S.A.
Their lies a great responsiblility on H.R department of employing companies.
By verifying the degrees and credentials the companies can avoid frausters and in turn get a genuine candidate helpful to the company.
The fraudsters usually are let free. The Gulf Countries shall impose stringent punishment on people trading in fake degrees and those who are already working in high offices.This is will encourage the work culture in gulf and imrove the image.

Comments
Posted by Zine on Monday 18 August 2008 at 10:10 UAE time

You do not put into perpective one thing in your article which i find very misleading, it is that most of them are from the US. The way you wrote this article let the reader think that most of them are arabs!

Check fraud degress in UK
Posted by Pradeep Naik, Dubai, UAE on Monday 18 August 2008 at 08:44 UAE time


USA is still small in fraud but if you check the people & universities from London you will be amazed.

180 Gulf residents named in bogus degree scam
Posted by Bikash Mallick, Dubai, U.A.E on Sunday 17 August 2008 at 19:02 UAE time

Very good, so now each GCC Country try to trace these fake degree holders. Anyway, in the actual working field everyone has to show their real capability except some Govt.& Corporates where the degree shows as an imitation ornament to display.

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