Fake Certificate Scams

What is this scam?

Fake certificate scams involve the creation, sale, or use of forged academic, professional, government, or identity certificates. These damage victims in two ways: those who purchase fake certificates risk criminal prosecution; and those deceived by someone using fake credentials — a fake doctor, fake lawyer, fake contractor — risk physical, financial, or legal harm.

How it works — step by step

1. 1

   Online services offer to 'arrange' a degree, mark sheet, or professional certificate without completing actual course or exam.

2. 2

   Fake degree mills sell certificates from non-existent or unrecognised universities.

3. 3

   Impersonators use fake police, government, or professional ID cards to defraud victims.

4. 4

   Some forge medical degrees to practice medicine without qualification — with deadly consequences.

🚩 Red flags — warning signs

• ⚠️Someone offering to arrange a degree or certificate without completing the actual course or examination
• ⚠️Certificate that cannot be verified on the issuing institution's official website
• ⚠️A professional who becomes evasive when asked to show original credentials
• ⚠️Any online service offering to 'fast-track' government certificates or licences for a fee

✅ What to do if you've been targeted

1. 1Verify degrees and mark sheets on the university's official website
2. 2Verify doctors at NMC: nmc.org.in
3. 3Verify lawyers at the Bar Council of India registry
4. 4Verify CAs at ICAI: icai.org
5. 5Report suspected fake certificates to the institution whose name is being misused
6. 6File FIR and complaint on cybercrime.gov.in if you have been defrauded

📋 Official resources & complaint portals

• →nmc.org.in — verify doctors
• →icai.org — verify CAs
• →cybercrime.gov.in