According to the numbers, the United States leads the world in offering something that’s rather embarrassing. It seems that America — most notably the states of California, Hawaii and Washington — tops all other countries in the number of “diploma mills”. Ouch.
What are “diploma mills”? Well, to put it simply, they are entities whose sole purpose is to issue fake diplomas and certificates to men and women. These diplomas look authentic, but the institutes from which they come are about as real as gnomes and fairies.
So what is an employer to do? Obviously, we recommend that every potential new hire be screened thoroughly — and that includes education verification. If you haven’t heard of a school, there might be good reason. It might not exist except on a website and piece of worthless paper.