In response to recent media reports which claim that overseas organisations are providing false diplomas from Australian educational institutions for up to $6500 each, the Chief Commissioner (ASQA), last Friday, reminded RTO’s that they have a responsibility to have “mechanisms in place to reduce fraudulent reproduction of its certification.”
Back in April 2014, we posted a video that shows one bulletproof mechanism that all but eliminates potential fraud. It is really great to see that this 'solution' has now made it onto the list of fraud prevention steps provided by ASQA.
The Commissioner goes on to identify the minimum requirements that must be included on a RTO’s certification and then identifies what steps can be taken to reduce the chances of fraud. Some of the steps that can be taken include:
- using a template with ‘copy protected’ text that makes otherwise hidden text visible when the document is copied or scanned
- using a template that includes text or graphic design components that are ‘micro-printed’
- having all important details (e.g. graduate’s name, qualification name, date) printed over a multi-coloured ‘watermark’ background
There are a couple obvious issues with certification being issued when there is a vast number of issuing organisations. The first being that other organisations do not really know what the official certification even looks like. The second is that it is relatively easy for even a fairly unskilled person to manipulate an existing certificate. For $6500 I would imagine it would be fairly easy to attract highly competent fraudsters.
From the list of possible fraud prevention steps mentioned, the one that is most secure is the utilisation of a QR code on the certification as has been adopted and promoted by Ammonite. We have created a short video on how this inexpensive and readily available technology can eliminate fraud. This technology is available for any instance using the Ammonite TOMS platform.