Buying a fake diploma is not a problem - 79% of Russians surveyed by sociologists are confident of this. Among Muscovites, this figure is even higher - about 90%. And they are right. The industry of trading in fake documents has seriously expanded its sphere of influence recently. If earlier provincials wishing to acquire a certificate or diploma had to come to the capital, look for dealers in the metro or underpasses, timidly hiding advertising signs from the eyes of policemen, and make deals literally on the street, now fake documents have become much more accessible. It is enough to simply type the words “buying a diploma” into an Internet search engine, and the computer will literally flood you with many links to relevant sites. A document of graduation from a university along with an insert is offered there for 20-25 thousand rubles, a diploma of the old sample (before 1996) for 15 thousand, as well as a certificate of graduation from a technical school or vocational school. You can also purchase a “red diploma” (it, however, costs more - about 45 thousand) or even a document on the status of a candidate and doctor of sciences. The list includes all leading Russian universities, including Moscow State University and Bauman Moscow State Technical University. And, most terrible of all, all specialties are “sold”, including medical ones.
You can order the document directly on the website, leaving a request with the data that needs to be entered into the diploma. In three or four days, the papers will be ready, filled in with the required name, furnished with seals and delivered to the customer personally or by mail. It is no wonder that with such moderate prices, especially against the background of constantly increasing tuition costs and the availability of such services, the number of buyers is growing. Almost 23% of respondents of the Public Opinion Foundation know people who have bought a diploma.
Among the reasons that prompted people to seek help from sellers of fake documents, the first place (49%) is the opportunity to find a well-paid job and improve their social status. Also noted are unwillingness to study (12%), lack of time for classes (2%), increased self-esteem (8%) and the high cost of studying at a university (3%).
“In fact, our clients buy documents based on these reasons combined,” one of the diploma sellers, who wished to remain unnamed, told journalists. “The fact is that many prestigious, well-paid specialties, for example, personnel manager or sales manager, do not require many years of study at a university. To obtain the necessary skills, classes in month-long courses or trainings are quite sufficient. Most institutes, however, still focus on academic subjects that have nothing to do with practice. It is clear that people do not want to waste time and money on acquiring knowledge they do not need. Meanwhile, employers, out of old habit, set higher education as a necessary condition. There is only one way out - to buy a diploma.”
It is quite symptomatic that 61% of respondents are confident that fake documents really help to get settled in life. And only 20% believe that buying a diploma cannot change the situation, since its holder will be exposed in any case. But HR officers of small private firms simply have no time to seriously verify documents. As a rule, only large state organizations, banks, and recruitment agencies identify diploma buyers, and even then only when it comes to a candidate for a managerial or responsible position.
The most reliable way to verify a diploma for authenticity is to send a request to the university. As a rule, you will have to wait several days for a response if it is a document issued in the last three years, and an indefinite period if the institute representatives have to dig through archives. However, even if the HR officer waits for the verification results, he will not receive a 100% guarantee that the diploma is genuine. First, because there are dozens of universities in Russia whose old documentation has burned down or been lost. And second, because there are firms that, for $5-8 thousand, enter the number of a fake diploma into the university's database.
Daria OKUNEVA.
Novye Izvestia