US authorities bust bogus university degree scam

WASHINGTON (AA): U.S. investigating agencies have busted a bogus university degree scam involving imposters of Indian origin based in the country, according to Thursday media reports.

The investigations have put the careers of hundreds of Indian students, among others, at risk, and the perpetrators could face criminal charges or deportation, India’s NDTV broadcaster said in a report.

The fraudsters allegedly collected thousands of dollars from foreign nationals hoping to enroll at the fictitious “University of Farmington”.

“Eight Indian student-recruiters were arrested by U.S. law enforcement agencies after multiple raids in the last two days [Tuesday and Wednesday],” NDTV said.

Suspects allegedly “misused” student visas and helped “unqualified students” by issuing fake university admission letters that would allow them to stay and work in the U.S.

Those who entered the U.S. with these visas knew the admissions were fake, the broadcaster claimed.

According to Indian daily The Hindustan Times, “The Justice Department’s Michigan branch announced the arrest of the eight men, whose names indicated they were either Indians or American citizens of Indian descent….”

The suspects, the newspaper added, had since been charged with “visa fraud” and “harboring aliens for profit”, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday.

Raids were reportedly carried out in the states of Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Georgia, Ohio and Texas. According to the Hindustan Times, the creation of the fake university was intended “to lay a trap for the fraud recruiters, who were apparently unaware that the university was fake and used it to illegally get documents for foreign students, most of whom were Indians”.

Many of the “students” had since been taken into custody, it added.

According to the Michigan branch of the Justice Department, the suspects had “obtained Certificates of Eligibility for Non-Immigrant Student Status or I-20s by making false statements”.