VIPs, Tan Sris and Datuks bought fake degrees

TRACKING THEM DOWN- Police weeding out hundreds who bought their academic scrolls from syndicate

SHAH ALAM: SEVERAL VIPs are among 525 individuals who were believed to have spent thousands of ringgit to purchase fake academic scrolls from foreign universities.

Police revealed this yesterday after they raided two premises in Cheras and Subang Jaya on Wednesday and seized computers and paraphernalia believed to have been used in producing the false documents.

Selangor police chief Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah declined to reveal the names of the VIPs as the investigations were still going on.

He, however, said two individuals, a 37-year-old company director and a 36-year-old woman, have been detained to facilitate investigations.

The police operation came about following a BH report earlier this week.

This was followed by a police report lodged by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE).

Tun Hisan said the two suspects, who operated from an office in USJ 10, were believed to have raked in about RM5 million by selling fake academic scrolls since 2003.

"The company used agents and online advertising to sell the fake documents.

"Degrees were sold at RM6,500, Masters for RM8,500 and RM10,500 for PhD," he said, adding that the academic scrolls were offered to locals and foreigners.

Tun Hisan said the customers were offered fake academic qualifications in various fields including human resource and engineering from five universities.

The universities were the University of Rockhampton (United States), Harvey International University (United States), Cannington Brook University (United Kingdom), Glastonbury University (United Kingdom) and Charles Molnar University (Hungary).

Tun Hisan said once a significant number of fake graduates were registered, the company would then organise a grand convocation ceremony at prestigious hotels in the Klang Valley.

"The astonishing part of the scheme was that family members of the 'graduates' were invited as well.

"The 'graduates' would pose in their graduation robe, complete with mortar board while while the scroll was given to each of them by a man posing as a dean or chancellor of an university," Tun Hisan said, adding that customers were charged separately for the convocation ceremony.

Tun Hisan said the case is being investigated for cheating and the suspects have been remanded to facilitate investigations. He urged parents as well as companies who have hired these fake graduates to come forward and assist in the investigations.

"Since the company has been operating for the past nine years, we believe there are significant number of fake graduates who had used their qualifications to get jobs and we will track them down."

- New Straits Times