Typology of fraud
Studies indicate that 31 milion people worldwide fall victim to education fraud annually, involving fake dregees and unaccredited institutions. The global economy suffers a loss of approximately $1.5 bilion each year due to fraudolent educational practices.
Education fraud is a global problem affecting all levels of education. It includes plagiarism, impersonation and identity theft, as well as organisations that promote “essay mills”, “visa mills”, “accreditation mills” and “diploma mills” with the intent to defraud. Essay mills have complex business models that generate revenue by offering students ready-made or custom-written assignments or dissertations in different languages. They often circumvent anti-plagiarism technology and have a sophisticated quality assurance process to ensure value for money.
The concept of fraud has been addressed by the Council of Europe, for example in Rule No. 1327 of 10 January 2011 on awareness and prevention of fraud and corruption. In that rule, the term “fraud” is used to mean any illegal act or omission characterised by deceit, concealment or violation of trust, perpetrated to obtain money, property or services; to avoid payment or loss of services; or to secure personal or business advantage, irrespective of the application of threat of violence or of physical force.
The Recommendation below contains definitions of “education fraud” and “fraudulent education service providers”. They are not exhaustive as education fraud continues to adapt and develop; however, they are based on widely accepted definitions in peer reviewed literature. In the context of the Recommendation, education fraud is focused primarily on actions and the supply of and demand for services that are intended to deceive and/or confer an unfair advantage in the sphere of education that usually, but not necessarily, involve payment in the form of money or property in return for those services. Examples include deception through impersonation during an assessment, or claiming the award of a relevant qualification or a certain academic status or ability when the person concerned has not in fact legitimately obtained or achieved that qualification or status or supplied, in whole or in part, the work required to obtain academic credits leading to the award of a qualification or academic status.
All these actions undermine the integrity of academic awards and status and damage the reputation of education providers in national settings, which, in turn, has an impact on the reputation of the country concerned and its national security. National interest and the economic performance of a country require educated and trained individuals who can perform the activity for which they are apparently qualified.
Education, research, and innovation play a crucial role in supporting social cohesion, economic growth, national stability, and global competitiveness. As countries become increasingly knowledge-based, education is rightly viewed as an essential component of socio-economic and cultural development.
Also, according to the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) “diploma mills” or “degree mills” refer to different (often online-based) entities or organisations which claim to offer degrees, diplomas or certificates in exchange for a sum of money, while offering no real preparation and assessment of knowledge, skills or abilities. These entities are not usually recognised by any national authority in higher education, although they may claim recognition by different degree-awarding bodies such as accreditation mills.
