It looks like the number of fake diplomas and certificates in the USA is not going to slow down soon. And if you want to verify someone’s background history, and check if he really went to school or got a certificate, then, you have to use the following methods.
Some of these options uncover more data than others. But that depends on the person’s details first, and second, public data may not be enough. That’s why other search tools combine the data from multiple sources. Next, they show them in one report for a fixed cost and other options are totally free but with no guarantee for any information.
5 ways for verifying someone’s educational background
Now, this is how you can find out if someone is lying about their degree. Try the option that works best for you, and don’t forget that people may have different names thanks to what you know about them. So, verify that first.
1. Run a background check online
To run a background check on someone’s education online, there are trusted sources of information that you can use like these search tools. These sites scan the Internet and find details about people on sites, social media, LinkedIn, and even more. They get private details from exclusive databases and other sources. That’s not possible with regular search engines.
To run an educational background check on a specific person, use any of the information you know about individuals such as their:
- First and last name
- Phone number
- Home address
- Username found on social profiles
- Face photo (they have a face recognition algorithm)
Most of these online background search tools show if someone graduated in a clear report. Which can be found under his education tab with details like diplomas, degrees, and certificates. Also, you can find out if someone’s GED is real by reading the details. But if it’s not there, then, probably, the tool knows nothing about that, or they never attended a school.
Some search types are better; for example, you may prefer using their cell phone number, email address and see how’s the person behind in a comprehensive search report. There should be different types of personal details about people that you can read to understand who they’re.
2. Verify the degrees with the college directly
This may not be the fastest option for many. That’s because some colleges have busy lines most of the time with many requests for educational background checks. So, don’t hesitate to call them and request verification of the certificate degree that someone sent to you. Probably what they showed you as papers and certificates are all fake and not genuine.
If you have doubts that the person sent a fake scan of his academic credentials, it’s a good idea to send it back to the same school and see if it’s real or not. If the university approves the documents, that’s probably the truth.
That being said, you need to be careful with attempts to modify a letter or two on other people’s certificates or papers. On many occasions, people share the same names (first and last), and by showing you someone else’s academic certificate, they can change numbers if they want to make things look real. For that reason, we recommend requesting a clear scan of the documents if you have trouble verifying the details on them.
If the person earned his diploma from an online university, you can request an online degree certificate verification directly from the official website. Just search for the school name, and you’ll find it on Google. Then, look for the contact page and send them an email with the scans, and request a verification.
Many big universities offer online education only. And after the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for web certification increased. Consequently, lots of people prefer online education, and they earned their degrees through the Internet. In other words, nothing is wrong with that if the guy or the girl passed an exam and legitimately earned the certification from trusted sources.
3. Try search engines and the internet
Most US universities have their own website. And so, they will publish details that are visible publicly. Consequently, by doing a simple Google search on someone’s name, followed by the name of the university he attended or the license he got, you’ll start the background check on his/her education.
Next, look for any information on the official website that represents the university and compare the date on the diploma with what you can see online. Some people prefer falsifying documents, so they look somehow real when they’re just copies of someone else’s certificate they found on websites. For that reason, be careful, and check the full letters of his name, the date of certification, signatures, etc…
Sometimes, you may find differences in the diplomat design and colors. Just zoom the scan of the certification by 10 or more, and look if there is any clear manipulation of letters or words. In Photoshop, people can change that, and they might zoom the scan of that certification multiple times to hide the change in details.
Nowadays, people can use fake university names. They might be added to other documents that do not exist in the real world. Thus, by starting the certification verification process online, you’ll save days of research on Google and other sites.
In many countries, document forgery is a real problem. But once you follow the right steps to verify IDs and college degrees, you’ll save your company or office from bad guys that know nothing about the job they’re applying for. Or in other cases, you’ll avoid meeting with someone you’re dating online who never went to school, and all of his or her profile details could be fake and lies.
4. Get help from social media
Social media is not like any website, you can use Google to find lots of information. But if you need to see if someone’s resume is full of lies or not, then using a social network like Facebook can solve the problem if there is any mention of education.
This is not like doing a real background check on people’s education. Instead, it’s a way to read what they put under their profiles and contact details. If someone is lying about his master’s degree, then, he won’t add it to his social accounts as friends, and family members will notice that.
You don’t need any document verification service if the certifications that the person sent are not mentioned somewhere on any of his Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn profiles. If they’re real, he’ll make sure to mention them under his details. So, he can increase his chances of getting the right job.
5. Hire a private investigator
This is not for everyone, so it’s better to keep it as the last option. If you’re willing to check the educational background of someone you suspect is lying, it’s a good idea to hire someone who is in the private investigation business. Many of them offer different services in the USA. Being said, the challenge now is how to determine which one is trusted. That’s because getting details from detectives is not always accurate if you choose the wrong person.
Just ask your local neighbors if they know someone who is certified as a private investigator. They can help you with his or her contact details. Many of them are retired agents from governmental agencies or police departments. So, they can help more if you find no answers about whether or not the degree certification has been falsified or not.
Conclusion
Depending on what the person you want to hire or work with has as details, you may verify his or her education history in minutes. Just use the options that suit your needs. Or, if you don’t have the time and you look for accurate ways to verify if they lie about their degrees or not, then, only the first option above can solve the problem.
