Ministry urges affected universities to make police reports over fake certs

KUALA LUMPUR: The Higher Education Ministry lodged a police report today against a syndicate selling fake university certificates to the public.
The ministry's director-general Datin Siti Hamisah Tapsir said the ministry had already made a police report and had urged the universities affected, namely Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and Segi University College (SEGi), to take similar action.
"The Higher Education Ministry has made a police report and also ordered UiTM and SEGi to make the same report because the fake certificates involved both the universities," she said in a statement.
A reporter from China Press went undercover as a potential buyer and contacted the syndicate that had been blatantly promoting its services on Facebook.
The syndicate is offering fake certificates from UiTM and SEGi College.
According to China Press, a fake diploma from UiTM is sold at RM1,000 and a forged degree at RM2,000.
It charges RM2,000 for a phony diploma, RM3,000 for a forged degree or a fake Master's degree from SEGi.
The syndicate claimed that the fake certificates are bilingually produced and they bore the seal of the institution as well as the signature of the chancellor.
Customers can choose from 30 programmes available at the universities and they will receive a scroll plus a transcript in two days.
The fabrication process only takes two hours and the package will be delivered a day after via mail.
Hamisah also urged any affected parties especially those in the private sector to immediately contact the universities to verify any certification.
"The Higher Education Ministry advises the public and agencies to contact the respective institutions to check the authenticity of any certificate which has been issued to any individual," she said.