While killing out spam that clogs my email, I came across one that bothers me more than the usual appeals to the Seven Deadly Sins.

Fake diplomas.

And I quote:

“Buy Custom Made University Diplomas, Fake College Degrees and Transcripts of World Famous Universities.”

Then comes a referral from someone “recommending” these to me at some bogus aol address.

And then the rest of the pitch:

“We design our Degree or Diploma Certificates and Transcripts to look 99.99% identical to world famous originals including identical security grade transcript paper, identical water markings, raised-ink crests, embossed seals, correct card stock weight (60-100lb depending upon institution specifications). Most post-secondary institutions available.”

This is alarming. A fake diploma is a particularly vile lie, especially when they are in fields in which scholastic achievement form the basis of expertise: Medicine, dentistry … all the sciences, basically.

Fake diplomas could give us bridges designed by amateurs, diagnoses from fake doctors, charlatans teaching classes …

I definitely feel an impulse to try to track this down and turn someone into the authorities … somewhere. Though I know I lack the technical sophistication to chase this to ground.

Meantime, I guess every potential employer should thoroughly check every piece of paper a prospective employee shows them. And consumers should not accept at face value the diplomas hanging on the walls of doctors offices, etc.

I suppose my best hope of keeping fake diplomas from flooding the planet are that spammers like this one are likely to just keep whatever money would-be “graduates” send them … and not even bother with those “99.99 identical” diplomas. A first-stage ripoff instead of one that actually provides some bogus service.

No honor among thieves? Hope so.