TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2015 LOCAL

Fake degree scam Turkish embassy makes KRCS serves iftar reaches Kuwait visa announcement to 168,000 refugees KUWAIT: By Sara Ahmed The Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) is carry- KUWAIT: Thanks to our strong and deep rooted ing from various parts of the world. Turkish authori- ing out an annual program providing iftar (fast-breaking) meals during the holy month of Ramadan to 168,000 inter- KUWAIT: Dozens of professionals in Kuwait - and friendly and brotherly relations between Turkey and ties spend maximum efforts in a way to make all pro- Kuwait, each year more and more Kuwaiti guests cedures easier for visitors. In this context, the nally displaced persons (IDOs) and refugees in four coun- hundreds (perhaps thousands) across the region - tries, said chairman Hilal Al-Sayer. The meals are offered to have been visiting Turkey. Embassy kindly suggests our Kuwaiti guests to may hold fake degrees from non-existent universi- Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan, in addition to the ties without even realizing it. One such professional Turkey attaches high importance and takes all rel- obtain their visas online from needy in Somalia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sayer added contacted by Kuwait Times and who asked that his evant measures to ensure her most welcomed https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/ prior going to Turkey. in a press statement yesterday. He noted that the KRCS is name not be revealed was shocked to learn that the Kuwaiti guests enjoying their travel to Istanbul Getting e-visa before the flight will help our Kuwaiti keen on supporting people affected by catastrophes or degree he has listed on his LinkedIn profile is from a which is one of the most well known and favorite guests to shorten their waiting time at the airport. E- armed conflicts worldwide. The meals project in Lebanon fictional university and that the company he earned holiday destination in the world. visa can be printed from the link just after the appli- includes 30,000 Syrian refugees, and 28,000 in Jordan, in the degree through now facing a federal investiga- However, visa procedures may take more time cation. Issuing of a stamp visa at airport will also be addition to 90,000 people in Somalia and 1, 000 families in tion in . than expected at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport due to in practice for a while. Both stamp visa and e-visa is Bosnia, Sayer added. — KUNA The scam reaches across more than half a dozen the high season and large numbers of tourist com- absolutely free for Kuwaitis. Kindly he informed. countries and several years, and involves what may end up being hundreds of thousands of dollars. In May, a newspaper in the exposed what it labeled a based in Pakistan, the Axact IT company. The firm reportedly operated hundreds of fake online universities and sold degrees - essentially worthless paper printed diplomas - to unsuspecting students across the Gulf. Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raided the company’s headquarters in Karachi and arrested Shoaib Shaikh, CEO and owner of Axact, Gulf News reported in June. Degrees cost around $4,500 and were often awarded based on ‘experience’ with even advanced degrees included. Some students interacted with who they thought were ‘professors’ and even sub- mitted papers and other school work. Payments were often made using wire services. A LinkedIn search for the name of the universi- ties + Kuwait turned up hundreds of such fake degree holders here including people teaching in schools and working in managerial positions.

Some of the fake degrees were awarded from fic- titious universities including the following: • Rochville University • • Midtown University • Edgebrook University • Belltown University • Ashley University • Port Jefferson University • Paramount California University • Orlando University The UAE, a primary target for the fake degrees scam, has responded to the scandal, first reported by the UAE publication, XPRESS. In a press confer- ence, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research said a law is being drafted to punish those caught faking degrees and called on all govern- ment departments and private companies to check the degrees of their employees for authenticity. A June 11 XPRESS report citing AXACT whistleblower Yasir Jamshaid said over 200,000 people in the region have bought fake degrees from the dubious Pakistani IT firm including many working in top positions such as vice presidents and CEOs.