For employers who think education verifications done as part of pre-employment background checks are unnecessary, here is a “tail” of a dog earning an online MBA from a “diploma mill.”

According to a news release from GetEducated.com – a consumer advocacy group that works to protect consumers from diploma mill fraud – a pug dog named Chester Ludlow was awarded a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) by Rochville University, an online college that offers distance learning degrees based on life and career experience.

GetEducation submitted their mascot Chester's resume – and $499 – to Rochville University online and a week later an express packet arrived from a post office box in Dubai containing Chester’s MBA diploma and two sets of college transcripts, GetEducated reported, adding that for an additional $100 Chester could have graduated with honors.

While Chester’s “tail” is certainly humorous, employers who fail to perform education verifications during pre-employment background checks – especially in the Internet age of online universities – won’t be laughing when they discover a new hire has committed credential fraud and they have to spend time and money to re-recruit, re-hire, re-screen, and re-train a replacement.

According to GetEducated, “diploma mills” represent a billion dollar industry worldwide. To help uncover education credential fraud, employers need to perform thorough education verifications during pre-employment background checks to screen resumes for fraudulent  credentials and discover if applicants actually attended, and graduated from, the educational institutions listed on their resumes.

Employers still reluctant to perform education verifications during background checks should not that, according to the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), one in four candidates (25 percent) misrepresent their educational background, and education verification is among the top five items in pre-employment background checks that SHRM recommends for employers.

Since education history is the one of the most common falsified information on resumes and job applications – and education falsifying is certain to grow in the down economy – an Education Verification report helps employers confirm degrees, diplomas, certificates, and dates attended from universities, colleges, trade/vocational schools, and high schools.

Pre-Employ.com, a nationally recognized pre-employment background check provider, offers education verification services for employers in a variety of industries. For more information about education verifications as part of pre-employment background checks, visit www.pre-employ.com, email info@pre-employ.com, or call 1-800-300-1821. Follow Pre-Employ.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PreEmploy.

tahearn@pre-employ.com

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