Lying On Resume May Be Illegal in Washington State If Bill Passes

I'm not kidding at all. Read below, or click the title post for the article.

Lying on resume could land you in jail
Bill would make it illegal to pass off fake degree as real

By CANDACE HECKMAN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Not only would it become illegal for people to lie on their resume about their academic credentials, but according to a bill lawmakers passed Friday, the move could land those liars in jail.

State senators unanimously amended and approved a bill that would make giving or using a fake or otherwise unaccredited degree a class C felony, a crime of fraud that could warrant five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The legislation also would make it illegal to lie orally, as well as in writing, when trying to get a job or other kind of benefit.

Once final, the law would take effect in July.

An earlier version of the proposal, known as the diploma-mill bill, would have made someone subject to a civil penalty of $1,000 for falsely claiming in writing to have an accredited degree, including a high school diploma, if it wasn't granted for actual coursework, the kind normally recognized by higher education standards in the United States.

The new version has increased penalties, but isn't harsh, said Rep. Phyllis Kenney, D-Seattle, who sponsored the original proposal.

The term "diploma mill" or "degree mill" is used to describe businesses that purport to be educational institutions, but really only sell consumers a paper degree and a verification service, should potential employers inquire.

These businesses typically operate on the Internet and overseas, where it is difficult for American authorities to track them.

Diploma-mill degrees supposedly from the United States have aided foreign nationals seeking immigration status, which is also a concern for state lawmakers, said state Sen. Mark Schoesler, a Republican from Eastern Washington.

"When they're using them, they're actually perpetrating a fraud," said Schoesler, who previously introduced legislation in the Senate that would criminalize both issuing and using bogus degrees and diplomas.



"We are very interested in protecting consumers and making sure our schools and institutions of higher learning keep the credibility that they have earned," Kenney said. "This law was written with deliberate research."
Washington had become known recently as a haven for diploma mills because education officials had authority only over schools that had physical building in the state. Most degree mills today operate in cyberspace and tout distance learning by correspondence. Sometimes the only correspondence is from a student asking for a degree and the school asking for a credit card number.

There also are thriving Internet businesses that sell "novelty" or otherwise counterfeit degrees and diplomas from academic institutions.

In October, eight people were indicted in Spokane on federal wire and mail fraud charges, accused of selling worthless degrees from Web sites that issue degrees and offer verification services to people with enough money and life experience. The supposed schools involved were Saint Regis, James Monroe and Robertstown universities.

There are countless others in cyberspace. They generally have names that sound just close enough to a real school that employers, and even government agencies, have been easily fooled.

In 2004, the federal Government Accountability Office released a report that found that at least 28 senior-level federal workers had claimed degrees from diploma mills and other unaccredited schools.