A Santa Cruz County fire department recently had its share of negative effects of the online education scam. In the course of an official audit this summer, the department unearthed some irregularities in the way some of the fire fighters were getting additional monetary benefits by virtue of holding one degree or another. It seemed that the scam had been going on for some time. The department has rules that give monetary incentives to fire fighters who add to their qualification by studying while they work. Unfortunately this rule has been heavily abused wherein the employees have been submitting fake degrees and have been earning more than they should actually be.

These fake degrees and diplomas are generally procured at a miniscule sum of less than $200 form some online colleges and universities. These universities are ‘accredited’ by some vague non-descript authority that has no standing. As such some of the fire fighters have been obtaining such fake degrees and adding several hundred dollars to their salary every month. Santa Cruz Sentinel reports:

There are several hundred counterfeit diploma Web sites, or diploma mills, which can be lucrative and easy to operate anonymously, according to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Many use names similar to reputable universities or colleges and have phone operators who verify graduations to employers who call to check.