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| An example of a fake diploma issued by one of Axact's fictitious schools, Grant Town University. |
Earning a diploma for high school, college, and especially
for a doctoral program requires a lot of work and a lot of time. You can’t just
buy a diploma—or can you? A recent New
York Times article
discusses some allegations made against Axact, a Pakistani software company.
Former employees of Axact and complaints from victims throughout the world
accuse Axact of operating a massive diploma mill scheme by secretly operating websites
for over 370 fictitious high schools, colleges, and universities which lure people in by
promising them a good education and diplomas from accredited schools. The
websites all look professional and appear to be from a real university. There
are even phone numbers to call and people waiting to answer questions
through online chat sessions. Several of the fictitious universities even have
similar names to respected universities (i.e., Barkley, Columbiana, Grant
Town), and the bank accounts for all of these schools funnel back to Axact,
according to The New York Times.
