about cousin and fake degree

[cocococococococo]

Name changed for fairly obvious reasons.

My cousin is from a south Asian country and a lot of people she knows have recently moved to the UK from there. They are all working as carers, drivers, shop assistants, often alongside studying.

Cousin has decided she is going. She doesn't have a degree so is planning to get a fake degree from her home country which apparently her friend did. This fake degree then got her accepted onto an MA degree in the UK and got her a visa. If you do an MA in England you are allowed to work while doing it, apparently, so this is the plan.

Here's the thing. I am British and I know fraud is a huge deal in the UK. And this is basically, fraud, right? I am concerned that there will be huge implications if she gets caught - the very minimum kicked off her course and her visa cancelled? Not to mention that she will also have to take out a huge loan to pay for her course and flights etc in advance, which obviously won't be returned if she gets kicked off during the course.

Secondly, the 'friend' she is going with sounds like a total liar and I'm worried it might be something even more sinister like trafficking. The 'friend' says that:

1. She has got the fake degree and it was super easy getting on to the course and is basically risk free. I know it is untrue that it is risk free because of the reasons I mentioned above, but I wondered if anyone knows any more about the risks or likelihood of her getting caught?
2. 'Friend' says that she has been studying and working part-time in a shop and has so far managed to pay off around £15000 of the loan payment that SHE took to come, in just one year. (The reason this worries me is because although I'm not living in England right now, I have loads of friends and family who are still there - not her side of the family so nobody she talks to - and everyone is telling me that the situation in England money-wise is awful right now, with bills and food and rent skyrocketing and people having to choose whether to heat or eat. Even my SIL who is a teacher married to a lawyer is having trouble with the cost of living, yet my cousin's 'friend' is living like a queen on a part time shop assistant salary?).
3. The 'friend' has said my cousin can live with her while she's there. I'm pretty sure this friend is working for the agent who send HER over on the dodgy degree and is getting paid to convince other people to go too (because the agent gets paid a huge fee if someone goes even if they have an awful time and make no money and it all turns out to be a lie, so they often pay others to help them sign people up.) I am convinced that this friend will just kick her out once she's there and cousin will be left alone basically homeless. She has no money and no savings.

I am writing this to show to my cousin because she doesn't believe me. She is saying that it will all be amazing, she will earn so much money, have no risk, etc. I am worried that at the very minimum it's a scam to get the agent fee, or even worse it could be something awful like trafficking. It's ringing a lot of alarm bells.

Anyone who can say more about this please help me explain to her why this is an awful idea!

(She's planning to leave her child at home in her home country to do this because her 'friend' has convinced her that it's such a great idea and that she can easily bring her child over in a year, will have plenty of money and a life all settled by then. So I'm also worried about this - leaving her child is a big deal and if it's all for nothing it will be even sadder.)

I'm not normally intruding and try to always be supportive but I'm worried she could be getting herself in trouble, loads of debt, or even serious danger.

Universities have departments employed solely for the purpose of checking out for fake degrees from overseas applicants. She may have applied for her MA but I'd be amazed if she gets as far as her first lecture.

Fraud is the least worst thing here, trafficking more likely.

Fees for masters are £££, with no U.K. work record she is likely to be in a minimum wage job and you can only work 20 hours a week. She won't even break even to support herself

"Highly likely to be reputable , or even "count" as an MA. Likely distant learning."

What? Why not think before you type? The OPs cousin can do distance learning at a highly reputable uk in the uk on a student visa? I don't think she can somehow

To the OP’s cousin if you are reading this!

This is a scam.

You are being deceived.

You are at risk of harm. Financial, sexual, other.

Please do not proceed with this.

Your cousin the OP is trying to help you.

Please listen to her 🙏

My dh’s niece is in the UK studying an MA. She was originally rejected for a student visa as the home office phoned her university where she did her first degree and they said she wasn’t on the course (she did study there, it was a mix up). So they do check before issuing visas.

Yes is fraudulent and extremely dodgy!

I had a colleague from South Asia who completed an MA in the UK. He had such poor English skills, I always wondered how he ever passed uni! Don't students have to sit English exams? How is your cousins English? Surely that fact she hasn't done the undergrad course would be picked up very quickly?

My colleague commuted 2hrs to live in a cheap area. He lived with 11 other men in a 2 bed flat! Beds along the corridor and bed hopping when people came in from night shifts and swapped over!

To get whatever the next visa was, he had to show £x amount of money in his bank account. This was arranged through a loan shark with no written agreement. Colleague said this was common in his community and everyone did it! He was threatened for months and the loan shark kept asking for more money.

Your cousins situation is an illegal scam and I wouldn't advise her to follow this path at all.

Sadly this is big business in south Asian countries and has been for years/decades. You may recall a few years back there was a great push to close down bogus colleges/universities in the UK. In reality the applicants aren't applying for university - the main objective is to just get into the country - at whatever cost. Many sell family homes and land to pay the traffickers who organise all the paperwork for them in their home country. Once in the UK, they may never set foot in the institutions. If the applicant has relatives or friends in the UK, they will basically go into hiding and live with them and ditch their paperwork. Many go into informal work which sometimes may come with accommodation. What pittance they are paid is often considered good money in comparison to their home country. Sadly, there is no appetite in the home countries to educate and inform their population about human trafficking. Instead word of mouth about how 'successful' and 'wealthy' families have become just by sending their sons/daughters abroad incentivises everyone. Also, in the south Asian countries is it dressed up as 'going abroad to work' instead of human trafficking. Throughout the application process you are led to believe that it's all legitimate and you are doing no wrong or anything illegal. The ones that do get to the UK will do whatever they can to remain in the UK, no matter how hard it is.

How is she planning to pay her tuition fees? They are really expensive for overseas students.

That was actually an issue when covid hit because everything moved into distance studies

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-62792875

This article made me think of your cousin. I hope she is safe and has decided not to go.

Are you the 'friend'???

Whilst being worried for your family member and agreeing that you should try and dissuade her plus report as possible trafficking situation
I disagree that universities pick up on this as easily or quickly as they should
With so much online learning and proof of previous study the last few years have made it so much easier
I deal with MA students in my work place and have had to raise concerns a couple of times recently about how legitimate their BA was and suspicions that they were using fraudulent means to complete written work
Once reported the university acted properly and removed them but agreed that it was only by being on a placement that this had become apparent

My brother works in post grad admissions at a top university. He has to check all degree certificates to be sure they are genuine as there are loads of overseas students who try to come with fake degrees. She'll most likely be found out

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-62792875
interesting article about South Aisian scams on BBC news today

Like a previous poster, I have worked on human trafficking issues before and this situation is without question what that is.

Academic requirements to study in the UK:-
Qualifications and Grades.
Entrance tests.
Language proficiency.
ID documents.
Experience and references.
Interviews.

Document requirements:-
Academic Transcripts.
Certificate of completion of studies with minimum marks.
UK Student Visa.
Valid Passport & other ID proof.
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.
Letter of Recommendation.
Statement of Purpose.
Scores of English Proficiency tests.
Bank statements to show proof of financial funds.

Information from AECC Global - experts, unlike your Cousin's so called friend.

I assume an "agent" would deal with all the paperwork and "enrol" her, for a fee. Is she sure it is even her actual friend communicating with her?

Definitely trafficking

Please show your cousin this article

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-62792875

The only way that this 'friend' will have managed to pay off £15,000 of her loan while studying and keeping herself clothed and fed is if she was working in a knocking shop. It sounds like she is going to be sold to a brothel.

I teach in a Master's degree programme in a London university, and unless it's a super dodgy one, it would be incredibly obvious that she doesn't have the skills to succeed from the first term. We have very well qualified students who buckle and drop out. Or get in trouble for academic misconduct for buying essays off the internet because they don't know how to do academic work at that level.

Realistically though, it should be really obvious to the university that it's a fake degree. Any proper UK university asks for transcripts of previous university work, a degree certificate, and recommendations (sent from academic email addresses) from faculty at the previous university. Can I ask what university she has been accepted to?

If you are genuinely concerned for her welfare and risk of trafficking, honestly, I'd contact the university to express your concerns. It may not even be a proper 'offer' from the university. Perhaps it's all a scam? It will allow them to look closer at her application and hopefully safeguard her.

If your cousin wants to come to the UK so badly, why doesn't she apply to study an undergrad here legitimately? I had a full time job when I did my undergrad, working 40hrs a week in a bar. It's possible to work and do an undergrad and at least it would be legit

She must absolutely not get a fake certificate.

I taught masters at an English uni. Looking back I wonder if a few students faked their way in. Definitely quite a few really really struggled. One plagiarised her whole thesis and couldn't understand what the problem was. She failed the course. Tried to bribe me to pass her with gifts and money. She failed I'm afraid.

Because she probably won't qualify, or be able to afford to.

She doesn't want to study! She wants to come and workd and earn £££ as her friend has told her.

Little concerned you teach at Masters level but didn't understand the OP...the cousin has not been accepted at any university. There is no university to contact, not that any university could or would discuss a student or prospective student with a random on the phone.

You're right that we absolutely would not discuss a student with a random over the phone, but if someone got in touch with us expressing concerns about a student who might be being trafficked, we absolutely would look into it as student wellbeing is really important and it could help put together a picture of what is going on with a student. Also, from a PR perspective, no legitimate university would want to knowingly be involved in, so it wouldn't be swept under the rug.