Government employees from the local to the national level can usually qualify for more pay and benefits if they obtain additional educational degrees — even if those degrees are not from accredited institutions.
WorldNetDaily was told by one government employee that the current favorite “diploma mill” is the University of San Moritz, operating out of Great Britain.
“Nice looking diplomas, reference letters from faculty, and they even have fake transcripts just in case someone wants to check. They also happen to be relatively low cost compared to the others and can get you your degree in a matter of days,” said the source who did not wish to be identified.
The University of San Moritz does not advertise like the other diploma mills, and it does not try to create the appearance that they are accredited. Others typically provide slick sales brochures and videos, with a claim that some international organization has accredited them. They usually provide degrees for life skills, experience and very simple correspondence courses.
San Moritz tells it like it is. They make no claim to be accredited, but it will give step-by-step instructions on how to commit fraud with one of their fake degrees.
“I’m sure that you realize that many qualified people don’t have the time or the money to invest in obtaining an advanced university diploma. You know that a university degree dramatically increases your earning power and personal prestige. USM offers affordable, non-accredited degrees. The USM diploma is perfect for resumes, promoting yourself in business, or just impressing people. You can use this diploma to enhance your personal prestige, increase your money earning power, and you’re allowed to assume any title that comes with your degree. For example, if you were to get a Ph.D. you could legally call yourself Doctor and put Ph.D. after your name,” explained Becky Spencer, registrar for the fake university.
This is literally a school that does not exist. It refuses even to provide a mailing address. Phones are answered by an answering service and school officials return calls only to those who want to buy a degree. Materials are mailed out by a fulfillment center, and an answering service takes calls from employers checking the validity of the degree or wanting a transcript.
“You don’t have to take any classes, buy any books, or take any tests. We will award you the degree that you select based upon your studies or life experience. The best part is that there is no tuition, just a small processing fee,” explained Spencer.
Degrees begin as low as $200 for a bachelor’s, $300 for a master’s, and an MBA or Ph.D. will cost $400. Spencer offered a special deal. Buy the MBA today for $400 and get the Ph.D. for just $100 extra. She offered to take a credit card, but that method of payment has since been discontinued and the company now only takes funds by Western Union wire.
“Once you have your diploma in your hands you’re considered a graduate,” she encouraged.
There are a few extra charges. For example, it would not make sense to have an MBA and Ph.D. issued on the same date, so for just $50 each they will date the degrees on any date that will seem logical on a resume.
A degree issued with summa cum laude honors can be obtained for just a $90 additional charge. “This means for less than $100 you’re an honor student,” Spencer explained. It was difficult not to laugh during her sales pitch, and it got more difficult with each new offer.
“We also offer transcripts. If we’re contacted about you we will of course verify that you have your degree, but your degree really needs a transcript to back it up. We prepare a sample transcript for you and keep it on file forever, but this $200 will translate into thousands of dollars in personal prestige and earning power, and if someone contacts us we send them a certified copy of the transcript. Which means if you’re out looking for a job, you go for an interview today, you go for an interview tomorrow, you go for an interview in two years, each time they contact us we’ll send out another certified copy of the transcript. OK? This is forever,” she stated, trying to close the sale. No response forced her to offer even more.
“You probably want the diploma to be accompanied by faculty letters of recommendation from university professors. The letters will highlight personal and academic achievements, and add greater credibility to a degree. The letters are professionally written on letterhead, and dated appropriately. Many of our alumni have successfully used recommendation letters to land great new jobs, huge pay raises,” said Spencer.
She actually suggested some comments that might look good on such letters: “Bright, astute, and accomplished. Demonstrated knowledge and sensitivity in dealing with complex issues. Excellent communications skills. Unreservedly recommended for any position,” were just a few of her many suggestions.
“Our literary staff will write fantastic letters containing these praises specifically for you. Now obviously, you have to be qualified for any job that you apply for, but these letters will almost guarantee you any job for which you apply,” Spencer promised, and the letters were surprisingly only $150 and would arrive with the diplomas.
This was not all. This fine university wants all graduates to be fully equipped to commit fraud at any time, wherever they may be. The best way to be prepared would be to have a wallet size diploma for just another $60. What practical use could such an item serve?
“You never know when you need to impress someone at a business meeting, party, restaurant, or a club. As a matter of fact, my friend met his new girlfriend when his mini Ph.D. accidentally fell out from his wallet while buying her a drink. Now only carrying your diploma with you will insure that you have it when you need it,” she explained.
“That covers all the options. How would you like your name to appear on your diploma?” she asked, apparently thinking the silence on the other end of the phone meant she had an anxious buyer.
Spencer claimed the main office is in London, England, but she wouldn’t reveal where she was calling from. The contact information is not given to just anyone.
“What happens is, when you receive your diploma you have all the information on how to contact us by mail or e-mail,” she explained. “When you go to an employer, you give him the information and he contacts us. We will verify, like I said, and send out certified copies of the diploma, and like, when they contact us, if there’s something specific that they’re asking, we contact you so that we can back you up no matter what you say. OK?”
Other similar universities advertise in magazines and send brochures and videos, and most have at least an informational website. Why not San Moritz?
“Well, I’ll tell you the truth. We do not. Right now we are actually rebuilding our brand new website and it should be completed in a week or two. As soon as it’s completed I can contact you and give you the address. You can show your friends around.
“The thing is, there won’t be no information on how a graduate got their degree, because we feel it is very important to keep the privacy of our graduates, for the protection of you and other graduates we like to keep a low profile.
“We have very high officials who have this degree. If you were to go for a job you would not want your employer to know that you got your degree in a week. We will not have that, and we will not cheapen the name of the university by advertising,” described Spencer.
Payment options were offered to make the entire package easier to obtain. A deposit of $300 would result in getting the diploma in just 10 business days. She explained that since a Ph.D. was requested, a thesis would be expected to be on file. That too would be provided as part of the total service to help people get jobs and promotions.
As good as it all sounded, it seemed a bit too risky to proceed. Did San Moritz have any trouble, or did any of the graduates get into trouble after using the degrees?
“We have not heard any complaints,” Spencer insisted. “We just know that we’ve heard wonderful things. We have letters hanging up all over the walls from graduates about how well they’re doing, and we hope to have yours hanging next to them.”
Not much chance of that, but an arrangement was made to delay the decision for a month to provide additional opportunity to investigate.
In a matter of only a week a call came from Sharon McCloud, a woman with a British accent who wanted to verify which diplomas were wanted. She quickly passed the phone to someone else when the questions got difficult.
“Hi. This is Janna Harris. I’m a registrar at the USM. I understand you’re a bit insecure about your degree. David, let me explain something to you. USM is a diploma mill,” Harris admitted openly.
“We, um, issue diplomas to help people who are qualified, get what they need to get on the same level with people who have attended Ivy League universities. I’m sure that you have to compete with people who are graduates of Harvard, UCLA, MIT, and other famous institutions. And I’m sure that you’re getting these degrees to help you to compete. I can honestly say to you that these degrees will help you compete. They will help you get ahead in life, and um, if you feel insecure you’re certainly free to cancel but I’m sure that you need these degrees to help you advance yourself in your employment,” Harris encouraged.
She didn’t know that WorldNetDaily is not anxious to hire people with degrees from the University of San Moritz. Then came the shocker.
“Well, I can assure you that I’ve issued these degrees personally to senators, state representatives, bank presidents, corporation heads, and no one has been insecure about getting their degree,” Harris declared. She would not name names or give any hints as to their identities.
“They’ve used their degree to advance themselves in their jobs and, um, to promote themselves in their fields of work, and study. And I can tell you this degree has helped numerous people get jobs that they could not have gotten without this degree.”
She went on to insist that the degrees are legal. “The university will back you up 100 percent. In fact, we have hired a private company to answer all inquiries about you. The company specializes in this service, and they assured us that they will continue to service you forever. It’s a private company and they will always be around to verify your diploma to whoever inquires, and we pay them for this service for you,” said Harris.
The private company is only revealed when the diplomas arrive, she explained.
She claimed there are “thousands and thousands” of satisfied San Moritz graduates in all government offices in all parts of the country. When she was told that a degree was desired for a possible job in the federal government, she said government employees make her best customers because they send their friends to San Moritz.
“What better recommendation can you get than that,” she exclaimed.
Has there ever been a close call?
“We have one person who got their Ph.D., and she worked for a doctor. When she showed it to him he wanted to see her thesis, and the dean of the university helped her out there. We quickly prepared it for her and helped her out. The university is here for you to back you up if you need any help,” she said in a reassuring tone.
McCloud returned to the phone to tell me that “for your privacy and protection, and so that you are billed in U.S. dollars, the name of the university will not appear on your credit card statement. Instead, your credit card statement will read, The Box Store.”
She said it is an “educational shipping center.” Whatever it is, or was, they called back shortly after to say they can no longer take credit cards and only accept funds from Western Union.
Bill Foley called to apologize. The credit card service was no longer working and to compensate for the inconvenience the full package would be made available at a significant discount.
Foley also had what may have been a British accent, but not a British sense of humor. He hung up when he was offered $300 total for the entire package of items.
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WND Staff