Pakistan to probe allegations of 'fake degree factory'
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 19 May 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Pakistan to probe allegations of 'fake degree factory', 19 May 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/558bc4a315.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 19, 2015
Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has ordered an inquiry into a U.S. media report alleging that a Karachi-based company is earning tens of millions of dollars a year by selling fake academic degrees online.
The Interior Ministry made the announcement on May 19, a day after The New York Times reported that the firm, called Axact, had set up a network of hundreds of websites for fictitious schools with names like Columbiana and Barkley, in reference to the prestigious U.S. universities of Columbia and the University of California at Berkeley.
The report analyzed websites of fake universities and quoted former employees and clients from the United States, Britain, and the United Arab Emirates who had paid up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for their degrees.
Axact condemned the report as "baseless, substandard, maligning, defamatory."
Based on reporting by AFP and dawn.com
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
