Johnson notes that this muddies the educational waters because it gives legitimate schools that offer this service a bad name. She notes that accredited schools have qualified personnel with experience in the field the candidate is interested in to evaluate an individual's experience, which is a complex process. Damaging careers and the bottom line People without college education or experience often fall for diploma mills, says Johnson. Typically, people find out they've been had when they try to get a graduate degree from another school or move, she says. Embarrassment also keeps many people from reporting their experience, which means that reports of fraud don't spread easily.
Bad diplomas can also hurt employers.
Even under the best of circumstances, bogus schools can get in under a firm's radar. She cites the example of one unaccredited institution that tried to get listed on the ACAS database. The school had made an arrangement with a company to go on site and provide education, before the ACAS notified the firm. The company was paying for an institution that didn't meet its basic requirements that it be regionally accredited. This can also affect the bottom line because in some industries, such as consulting or government contracting, companies can lose contracts if the employees they put forward have bogus degrees.