Many employers are concerned about how to verify the authenticity of an applicant’s diploma. Especially when it comes to important positions where higher education is necessary. In pursuit of a good salary, many try to deceive personnel officers by slipping false documents.

There are three ways to fake diplomas:

  1. Original documents and inserts are purchased from unscrupulous employees of universities or printing houses where they are printed. Seals and signatures are forged. False information is entered.
  2. In addition to seals and signatures, papers and crusts are also forged.
  3. By means of additions and erasures, false information is entered into a real diploma once issued to someone. As a rule, such a fake is easily detected.

Therefore, you need to know how to check the authenticity of a diploma higher education, fortunately, there are several ways to do this.

Examination

Currently, verification of diplomas is mandatory only for applicants for positions in government agencies. state security, Ministry of Internal Affairs, military and space industries. In other cases, the decision to conduct an inspection is made by the employer.

According to the law, the company is obliged to inform the employee how, for what purpose and where they plan to check personal data. About what will happen in case of refusal - too. To do this, you need to obtain written consent to check your personal data, your diploma in particular.

Please note

First, to save time, study the diploma itself. Each of them has several types of protection, and a low-quality counterfeit can be detected immediately.

Details

How to check the authenticity of a diploma quickly and easily? Take a closer look at the presence of protective elements on it:

  1. “RF” watermarks are located across the entire surface of the document. So just hold it up to the light.
  2. When you make a photocopy of your diploma, you will see the words “copy” written on the document, invisible to the eye.
  3. If you try to illuminate the diploma with ultraviolet light, below the inscription “Diploma” you will see a double-headed eagle with a wreath and threads all over the surface.
  4. On the sides of the coat of arms, find the inscriptions “Diploma” and “Russia” merging with the background.
  5. Using a magnifying glass you can read the words “Ministry of Education Russian Federation", located above the inscription "Diploma" on the right. Their size is only half a millimeter.

Paper and padding

For diplomas they use expensive Gosznak paper. It is dense, pleasant to the touch, with a characteristic smell of cellulose. It's hard to fake. Pay attention to the filling, there will be no mistakes in this diploma, the paint is matte, without shine. If you rub the number and series, they will not be erased.

Check by number

After a visual inspection, if necessary, you can proceed to the most reliable methods. Each diploma is assigned an individual number. Often scammers even print such documents without changing this number. So how to check the authenticity of a diploma by number?

Law enforcement

This is the official verification method. Usually used when you are confident that your diploma is fake and want to prove this fact. In this situation, the evidence will be expert opinions, as well as a certificate from the educational institution confirming that this person did not study there. Such a certificate can be obtained quickly and without problems at the request of law enforcement agencies. The punishment for forgery is arrest for up to 6 months, correctional labor or a fine.

This method is also used if the prospective employee refuses to consent to verification of the diploma.

University

If a person has consented to the verification of a diploma in writing, on official letterhead, indicating the reason for verification, the signature of the diploma holder, the seal and signature of the employer, then it can be sent to the educational institution that issued the certificate of completion. In case of its dissolution, the request is sent to the legal successor.

Despite the official nature of such verification, there is a danger that the company that forged the diploma could order it directly from the university from unscrupulous employees. Such a document will have a real registration in the archive.

How to check the authenticity of a diploma through the university without informing the candidate? In the absence of written consent from the owner of the document, a request to the university is unlikely to have any result, since they do not have the right to disclose personal data. Keep in mind that if the diploma holder himself applies for a certificate, it will be received.

Also, on the websites of some universities it is now possible to obtain information about the educational activities of former students, grades, and titles of coursework by diploma number.

Connections

If you have connections, for example, in the police, you can get an answer to the question about the authenticity of the diploma. But at the same time, this method is unofficial and cannot be used for punishment if a fake is discovered.

Internet

How to check the authenticity of a diploma online? Find out the information you need without going anywhere or filling out a bunch of paperwork - what could be better?

Base

An electronic database of diplomas is the dream of personnel officers. Of course, someday it will appear, but at the moment Talks about its creation have been going on for several years.

The development of this project is carried out by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, it will include the following data:

  1. Full name of the graduate.
  2. Graduate passport details.
  3. University code, according to the All-Russian Classifier.
  4. Full name of the university.
  5. Received specialization.
  6. Year of graduation.
  7. Series, number and date of issue of the diploma.

A similar register has been maintained by the National Accreditation Agency in Education since 2005. But access to it is now only available to administrative structures.

Rosobrnadzor, test base

Is there really no answer to the question of how to verify the authenticity of an education diploma? While the database has not been fully created, at the moment, on the Rosobrnadzor website, verification of educational documents issued in 2010 and 2011 is currently running in test mode, subject to their inclusion in the Federal Register of State-issued Education Documents, academic degrees And academic titles. At the same time, you can check documents not only about higher education, but also about primary and secondary vocational education.

To receive information you must indicate:

  • name of educational institution;
  • surname of the document holder;
  • series and form number;
  • date of issue.

However, the developers indicate that the result may be incorrect, and they are not responsible for this.

Social media

Social networks have become a part of our lives and are not losing their popularity. How to check the authenticity of a diploma using them? Knowing the last name, first name and year of graduation, you can find your applicant on Odnoklassniki or VKontakte and view information about the educational institution specified in the profile. And reputable universities even have their own alumni base. In addition, you can find your candidate's prospective classmates and get all the information from them.

At the moment, it is possible to check your diploma via the Internet and on graduate forums located on official websites. There, as on social networks, you can ask whether this person studied with them.

The diploma verification process can take up to 7 months. Therefore, when hiring a person for a job, it is better to make sure of his knowledge and arrange a probationary period. It will take much less time, besides, many good specialists do not have a higher education, since they were not able to spend five years at a university, instead working and gaining the skills you need.

Diploma authentication is just a formality for most employers

The thought that if it is, then it will definitely be checked and a fake will be discovered, stops many people. Skeptics obsessed with this idea voluntarily deprive themselves of the opportunity to change their own lives. Instead of getting a prestigious position or getting a promotion, they refuse to purchase a higher education document.
And yet, thousands of our compatriots every year choose a simpler and easier path than full-time, part-time or evening studies at a university. Such a step, in most cases, is absolutely justified.

Why is a purchased diploma rarely checked for authenticity?

Successful commercial companies always pay special attention to personnel selection. They hold competitions for filling positions, lure employees away from competitors, and maintain large staffs of HR specialists.

Having a higher education when applying for a job often becomes only one of the list of requirements for an applicant. A certificate of completion of a university is a formal condition for a candidate who has many more important advantages:

Experience

It is precisely because of the lack of work experience that a university graduate does not have to count on an abundance of offers from employers. Yesterday's students are usually offered lower-level positions, motivating them at the interview with a promising career.

HR department employees also look with great distrust at a person over 30 years of age without experience in the desired field of activity. Their skepticism is completely justified. In the 10 or more years that have passed since graduating from university, knowledge quickly disappears from your head.

Availability practical experience work usually plays a decisive role in choosing a candidate for a position. And the “crust” provided by the applicant is returned to the owner after a quick review.

The presence of a “crust” in such a situation is a necessary formality, nothing more. A document of higher education is needed only to make an appropriate entry in the newcomer’s personal file.
In the future, if the employee really proves himself with positive side, no one will ever check the authenticity of the purchased diploma. It will be enough for management that the person copes with his responsibilities perfectly.

Personal information

The choice of a candidate when hiring is directly influenced by a person’s personal data. Depending on the specific position, personnel officers give preference different types personality. The main criterion could be:

  • perseverance and not predisposition to change places (circumstances);
  • creativity and the ability to constantly produce new original ideas;
  • scrupulousness and responsibility when performing routine, monotonous work;
  • ability to quickly make decisions in critical situations;
  • strictness towards subordinates;
  • ability to quickly learn new knowledge;
  • willingness to work overtime;
  • absence or presence of family (children).

Ability to communicate with people

People skills are the most important skill for hiring in most business companies. Depending on the specific position, a specialist must be able to quickly find contact and maintain good relationships:

  • with suppliers of goods and services;
  • with clients – retail business owners;
  • with the final buyers of the product;
  • with subordinates and management.

The ability to communicate is not included in the curriculum of regular universities. Some people have it naturally, others develop this quality over many years. Yesterday's student often has difficulty establishing relationships with strangers. He will have to make many mistakes before he learns to please his interlocutor, avoid conflicts and inspire trust.

Level of special skills

Any field of activity has its own specifics. To perform job responsibilities Each employee is required to possess special practical skills at a certain level:

  • be able to use various office equipment;
  • thoroughly understand the nuances of the operation of special computer programs;
  • own foreign languages and be able to communicate competently with foreign partners;
  • know perfectly the characteristics of the market, the strengths and weaknesses of competitors' products.

Learning special skills from scratch always requires additional time and effort. During the adaptation period of a new employee, the likelihood of making mistakes increases sharply and productivity decreases.

Having a higher education certificate does not in any way affect the level of proficiency in special skills. They are slowly developed over many years of practice.

Who verifies the authenticity of the diploma and when?

Verifying the authenticity of a diploma is not a mandatory procedure when hiring a new specialist in a private company. The current legislation also does not regulate this procedure in any way.

Therefore, in the vast majority of commercial companies, checking the “crust” is formal. An HR department employee only conducts a visual inspection of the provided document, paying attention to the presence of special watermarks, seals and other nuances. A masterfully custom-made diploma easily passes this test. Distinguish it by appearance from a document issued by a university ordinary person can't.

Serious checks of the authenticity of diplomas are periodically carried out only in government agencies. Most often, official requests for training of a specific person are sent by the leadership of law enforcement agencies and government agencies.

For commercial companies, identifying a fake “credential” from a current employee is fraught with a serious blow to the company’s prestige. Therefore, their managers prefer to pay attention to specific business qualities employee, the results of his work. It doesn’t matter to them whether they bought a diploma or received it from a university after many years of full-time study.

Methods for verifying the authenticity of a diploma

There are four ways to verify the authenticity of higher education documents:

  • Visual inspection.
  • Official request.
  • Special online services.
  • Website of a specific university.
Visual inspection

Compliance check appearance Diplomas are produced to established standards almost always. This is done by the responsible employee of the HR department.
Documents prepared on real GOZNAK forms easily pass the test. It is impossible to distinguish the purchased “crust” from the original with the naked eye. The diploma has all the necessary protective features:

  • watermarks;
  • luminous elements;
  • microtext.

Watermarks must be visible when viewed from a certain angle. Luminous elements appear when exposed to ultraviolet rays. The quality of microtext can be easily checked by magnifying the document with a regular magnifying glass.

Printed diplomas are almost always detected at the visual inspection stage. Even on state-of-the-art consumer printing equipment, it is impossible to bypass all levels of protection. Therefore, you should responsibly choose a diploma seller and not agree to purchase a document printed in a regular printing house.

Official request

This method is the most complex and time-consuming. Therefore, they rarely resort to it. An important nuance is that drawing up an official request is possible only with the written consent of the applicant.

The applicant for the position signs the relevant document with his own hand. It is illegal to send a request without written permission. This violates human rights in the field of personal data protection and is contrary to the current Labor Code. The employer also has the right to send a request to the educational institution without mentioning specific personal data of the person. About whether a diploma of a certain series and number was issued or not.

The university is not obliged to respond to such a request. There is no liability for ignoring it. In practice, educational institutions confirm the authenticity of the “crust” if they are personally contacted by a graduate who has lost the original document.

A secret verification of a diploma without the person’s consent is fraught with serious trouble for the employer. The heads of many educational institutions respond to such a request by contacting law enforcement agencies. The sender of the letter may be held accountable for attempting to obtain confidential information protected by the Laws of the Russian Federation.
Obtaining a response to a formal request becomes even more difficult if:

  • The university was disbanded several years ago;
  • a new institute or university has been established on its basis;
  • the educational institution is located outside the Russian Federation.

Verifying the authenticity of the “crust” by sending an official request often takes a long time. The answer from the university usually comes no earlier than a month after the application.

Online service

In 2012, the Russian government adopted a special Resolution on the creation of a Unified Register of Diplomas on Completion of Higher Educational Institutions. A special organization, Rosobrnadzor, has been appointed as the responsible executor. An information base with data on university graduates has been created on its website.

The resource is filled gradually. There is no information about most graduates in the database yet. The only exceptions are documents recent years issuance. The management of universities is obliged to provide information about them to the register as soon as possible after the graduation of specialists.

In practice, checking the authenticity of the “crust” on the Rosobrnadzor website is often associated with significant difficulties. The responsible person filling out a special form must correctly indicate many different data:

  • level of education;
  • personal data of the applicant;
  • form details;
  • exact date of issue.

The slightest error is perceived negatively by the program. If one letter is spelled incorrectly, the system will issue a response stating that the specified diploma is not listed in the database.
The registry developers are well aware of possible errors in determining the authenticity of documents. They do not recommend drawing unambiguous conclusions in the absence of a diploma in the database, since a significant part of the data has not yet been entered into the register.

University websites

Information about the authenticity of the diploma can also be found on the official website of the educational institution. Prestigious institutes and universities create closed local databases of their graduates. But this method only works for documents issued since 2017 for a limited number of universities. To detect a fake, the diploma must have a special QR code that can be read using a smartphone.

Higher education institutions cannot openly post information about all graduates on their official website. Every former student has the right to confidentiality of personal data.
In addition, many universities are not serious about filling the site with such information. For them much work is more important with applicants than with graduates.

Most employers check the uniqueness of a diploma formally. A skillfully produced document on GOZNAK letterhead cannot be visually distinguished from the original. And sending an official request or searching for data on a special register does not provide a 100% guarantee of the authenticity of a document on higher education.

Today, almost everyone dreams of financial well-being and a life of abundance. However, without a well-paid and stable job, such a goal is very difficult to achieve. Again, to get a warm place, you need to at least have a higher education. But not all young people bother with five years of university studies. They don’t understand why go to lectures and take exams when they can buy the coveted certificate in the transition, and then present it at the request of a potential boss.

Labor market situation

Unfortunately, the number of such would-be specialists in our country is not decreasing. In this regard, an increasing number of employers have begun to take a closer look at the document on higher education that the applicant palms off on them. But few people know how to verify the authenticity of a diploma.

This question becomes especially relevant when it comes to hiring an employee for high positions, where without specialized education, in principle, there is no way around it. Unfortunately, in pursuit of big money, the lion's share of applicants resort to outright deception, providing HR officers with fake certificates. Of course, the recommendations below on how to check the authenticity of a diploma will be very useful for them.

How to counterfeit

Unscrupulous individuals buy false documents and inserts from equally unscrupulous employees of academies, universities and employees of the printing houses that produce them. Signatures and seals are easily forged, and information is entered that is deliberately false. Moreover, in some cases, all this is done on fake paper. However, it is not possible for experienced specialists to recognize the above counterfeit. special labor, although there are exceptions to the rules. One way or another, every employer will be interested in knowing how to verify the authenticity of a diploma.

Procedure

Currently, document inspections are carried out, as a rule, on applicants for positions in internal affairs bodies (police, prosecutor's office), as well as on those who want to work in the space and military industries.

However, this does not mean at all that the director of a bakery does not have the right to make sure that his subordinates have real diplomas. Are diplomas actually checked for authenticity? One way or another, it is the employer who decides to check or not to check. If he has time and wants to get to the bottom of the truth at any cost, then the likelihood of an inspection is quite high. However, when initiating the above procedure, you should remember some nuances.

So, how can a manager check the authenticity of a diploma?

Official request

The boss can address the request to the university that issued the document to his potential employee. However, he must obtain written permission to do this from the subordinate himself, since in Russia personal data cannot be the property of third parties.

In addition, the employer's request must be authorized by the relevant government authorities. Moreover, he must present serious arguments to justify the verification. As a rule, the justification is most often the low qualifications of the employee. To be fair, it should be said that university office workers often react very sluggishly to the above written requests from employers; they are simply too lazy to go to the archives and “raise cases,” making the excuse that the requested information cannot be disclosed by law.

Thus, checking a diploma for authenticity is not so simple task. Bureaucratic red tape can last up to six months, so some employers subsequently abandon this idea for fear of spending too much time, and, as you know, for every businessman it is money.

However, the boss can take an easier path: send the diploma holder directly to the university.

In other words, the subordinate himself goes to the university and brings an archival certificate from there. However, here’s the problem: today both a diploma and a certificate are easy to buy, so in this sense the employer is not protected in any way.

Social media

To solve the problem in question, you can do the following: try to find the owner’s profile on social networks. Today, every reputable university has created online communities of students and alumni. Even if your subordinate is not a member social networks, then you can always find his fellow students-friends who will be able to tell a lot of new and interesting things about their friend. Of course, this is not the most effective way to verify the authenticity of a document on higher education, but you can find out whether this or that person really studied at an academy or university.

Of course, it is not always possible to verify the authenticity of a diploma. In Ukraine, by the way, this problem is quite acute. There are plenty of fake documents on higher education in the neighboring country.

Diplomas can be verified there on the Internet portal of the Ministry of Education by entering contact information.

Naked eye

How else can you verify the authenticity of a diploma? It wouldn’t hurt to act as an expert yourself.

First of all, pay attention to the quality of the paper, which should belong to the State Sign category, have a durable structure and exude a subtle smell of cellulose. Look carefully at the series and number of the document, run your finger over them: if after this some numbers are erased, then this is an obvious fake. Proof of the originality of the diploma is the presence of watermarks, which are very difficult to fake. Pay attention to how the document is filled out: in a real diploma, entries are made with high-quality matte paint.

By number

There is another way to check. Each diploma has an identification element in the form of a number. Naturally, all such codes of real university graduation documents issued are recorded in the register of the Russian Ministry of Education. To verify the authenticity of a diploma by number, you need to initiate a request on behalf of the university that issued the document.

Again, we should not forget that federal officials can provide information of interest only with the written consent of the employee and permission from law enforcement agencies.

Today there are Internet services where, using a number, you can find out the authenticity of a document. However, using them is fraught with errors, since they do not provide 100% reliable information.

Conclusion

It should be recognized that the number of false documents on higher education is steadily growing every day. That is why officials should focus attention on this problem and create in the near future an impressive database of authentic diplomas that were issued to university graduates.

It is no secret that one of the most popular fraudulent schemes is the sale of a fake higher education diploma. Outwardly, it may not differ in any way from the real thing, so it is extremely important to know how to protect yourself from such deception. Let us consider in detail how you can check the authenticity of a diploma, what to look for during the check and what you should be wary of in such a document.

○ What is the Unified Register of Diplomas?

In 2013, it was decided to create a unified database of documents on completion of secondary and higher education, which can be used to verify the authenticity of any diploma or certificate. To implement this program, back in 2009, the official website of the Federal Service for Supervision of Education and Science began collecting information about all documents indicating the completion of any stage of training:

  • Diplomas of secondary and higher education.
  • Documentation of the award of an academic degree or scientific title.
  • Certificates of passing the Unified State Exam.

Thus, the most extensive database of citizens’ education documents began to be formed, making it possible to verify their authenticity.

Work to fill the database is carried out daily, the lower limit for the collection of information is 1960, the upper limit has not been established.

○ Regulation of the activities of the Unified Register of Diplomas.

This register was created as part of project activities Rospotrebnadzor and is supervised by him. Educational institutions send information about issued documents (diplomas, certificates), which serve to further fill the database.

The maintenance of the register is regulated Federal law“On education in the Russian Federation” dated December 29, 2012 No. 273-FZ.

To ensure that information about documents on education and (or) qualifications, documents on training issued by organizations carrying out educational activities, information about such documents is entered into the federal information system"Federal register of information on documents on education and (or) qualifications, documents on training", the formation and maintenance of which is organized by the federal body executive branch, carrying out functions of control and supervision in the field of education. Federal government bodies and executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation that carry out public administration in the field of education, authorities local government, carrying out management in the field of education, organizations carrying out educational activities, submit to the federal executive body exercising functions of control and supervision in the field of education, information about issued documents on education and (or) qualifications, documents on training by entering this information to the federal information system "Federal Register of Information on Educational Documents and (or) Qualifications, Training Documents."
(Clause 9, Article 98 No. 273-FZ).

In accordance with paragraph 10 of Art. 98, the list of information required to be entered into the database, as well as the procedure and form for its maintenance, is established by the Government of the Russian Federation.

○ How to check the authenticity of a diploma in the registry?

You can check your education document online without leaving your home.

✔ Step-by-step instructions for checking your diploma.

To do this, you need to follow the following algorithm of actions:

  1. Go to the official website of Rospotrebnadzor.
  2. Find the FRDO section - Federal Register of State Documents on Education, Academic Degrees and Academic Titles.
  3. Click on the “Check document information” button.
  4. Enter the required information in the appropriate fields and click on the check button.

In this section you can also familiarize yourself with the latest developments in current legislation and frequently asked questions.

✔ What data is needed to find information?

The required information will be indicated in the appropriate lines of the form. You will need an introduction:

  • Level of education (secondary or higher).
  • Names of the institution and its code according to the All-Russian Classifier.
  • Full name of the document owner.
  • State series and number of the form being checked.
  • Dates of issue.

All this information can be found on the document being checked.

✔ Extended diploma verification.

In addition to the mandatory information, you can add additional information to the database by checking it through an advanced search. In this case you must also specify:

  • Title of the document (certificate, diploma).
  • Status (original, duplicate or lost).
  • Registration number of the document (it can be found immediately under the inscription “Diploma)”.
  • Graduate qualification (bachelor, specialist, master).
  • Specialty (exactly as indicated in the document).
  • Year of completion of training.

Advanced search is optional but recommended. This increases the likelihood of finding the information you need and makes the search process easier.

✔ Test results.

The verification procedure is fully automated and the system provides a quick result (positive) provided that the correct data is entered. Information is updated around the clock and entered no later than 2 months after the document is issued.

Additions can only be made educational institution, individuals can only do this by sending an official application to Rospotrebnadzor (for example, if you find an error in the database regarding your diploma).

If the result is negative, this does not mean that the document is fake. Perhaps the data about him has not yet been entered into the database, or there was some inaccuracy in the process of providing information.