The Degree Fraud Toolkit will help employers put measures in place for recruiting and screening candidates as well as provide advice on what to do if they find out an employee has lied about their degree. It also contains case studies, templates and useful contacts.
Backed by the government, the toolkit has been developed by Prospects HEDD in collaboration with employers, professional associations and law enforcement authorities.
The latest research by the Risk Advisory Group reported that nearly half of CVs contain discrepancies in education claims. HEDD found that a third of employers take CVs at face value and 76% assume degree certificates are legitimate, so don’t check with the awarding body1.
Common lies include falsely claiming a degree, inflating grades and changing subjects to fit a particular job role.
Jayne Rowley, Higher Education Services Director at Prospects said: “Fake degree certificates are widely available online for just a few pounds and there are thousands of bogus universities who fool people into thinking they are getting a degree. Both are often modelled on genuine universities, so it’s easy to see why employers may be duped. The only way to be sure a candidate is qualified to do a job is to check their claims with the awarding university.
“It’s standard practice to verify references, qualification checks are often overlooked and they shouldn’t be. Just one incompetent or deceitful person in a business can have fatal consequences.
“Smaller businesses are among the most at risk of falling victim to degree fraud. They are less likely to be aware of the threats and how to protect themselves.”
Top tips for businesses
- Notify applicants that you verify qualifications – if they refuse it could be a signal that something is off-kilter
- Only accept original – not photocopied – certificates
- Check certificates with the issuing university or via HEDD
- Don’t be duped by official-looking stamps
- Remember a notary will only confirm sight of an original document, not whether it’s genuine
- Check the legitimacy of a university on hedd.ac.uk – if it’s not listed it’s likely to be fake
To download the toolkit or for more information visit www.hedd.ac.uk
1 https://news.riskadvisory.net/2015/25/businesses-warned-to-step-up-checks-on-new-employees-as-extent-of-cv-lies-is-revealed/
HEDD surveyed 106 employers about their approach to verifying qualifications in 2014.