- Axact ‘diploma mill’ case resurfaces with a bang
Those who believed the self-proclaimed ‘world’s largest IT company’s’ mind-boggling fake degrees selling business was over and done with, and the shady firm a thing of the past, were rudely shaken out of their slumber by the recent shocking BBC investigation report. Calling one of Axact’s known websites, the so called ‘Nixon University’, the BBC reporter was sold an instant ‘degree’ for $3,600 within ten minutes by a man calling himself ‘Jerry Louis’, but it could as easily have been Dean Martin! Other startling revelations follow the familiar pattern of the New York Times 2015 original exposé with its unbelievably unsavoury facts and statistics, a maze of deceit and ‘outward shows’ to lure wannabe Masters, Doctorate or PhD aspirants and duping all manner of clients into purchasing its dubious wares, with more than 3,000 degrees sold to UK-based buyers in 2013 and 2014, and in 2015, 215,000 globally through 350 websites, translating into ‘earnings’ of $51 million, and overall into a billion-dollar operation.
What amazes is not only the audacity and slickness of the enterprise, but the staggering gullibility, dire need or greed of those willingly conned into parting with fabulous sums, in one case an astronomical £500,000, including UK National Health Service staff, doctors, consultants and nurses, engineers and a defence contractor, also disclosing a casual attitude by employers in verifying documents. Enhancing earning capacity, retaining a job or simply being ‘credential-conscious’ drives the ‘victims’, who after purchasing their fake qualifications are ruthlessly blackmailed or threatened into buying additional documents by Axact personnel posing as law enforcement officials. A predatory and murky affair indeed.
Court cases against Axact are pending since 2015, its television channel is going strong, and its CEO (who is also conveniently a Saint Kitts and Nevis ‘citizen-by-investment’ passport holder), was bailed out in September 2016 for lack of evidence, though the reprieving judge later confessed to receiving Rs5 million. The Chief Justice of Pakistan on Friday took suo motto notice of the shameful matter which is gaining global notoriety for Pakistan and directed the DG, FIA to submit a report within ten days to ensure final resolution of the long outstanding issue.
