PETALING JAYA: The Higher Education as well as the Education Ministries will take stern action against those involved in the sale of fake academic certificates, says Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.

The Higher Education Minister said there would be no compromise on the matter.

He said a police report would be lodged and immediate action would be taken to address the issue.

“I believe the same action will be taken by the Education Ministry as the matter involves the issuance of certificates under the ministry’s authority.

“This creates confusion among the public, with some people questioning its authenticity because it features both our national coat of arms and the Education Ministry logo.

“Those who are less familiar with such activities may be deceived,” he said in a video from the ministry yesterday.

He was responding to a report by a Malay daily on Wednesday about the online sale of fake school and higher education certificates.

Learning institutions, he said, must prevent scammers from using their university’s name to carry out fraudulent activities.“We should not allow this to occur,” he said, adding that scammers would use different tactics to make money illegally through their schemes.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the ministry said stern action would be taken against any public university, private higher education institution or individual involved in the sale of fake academic certificates.

“There are monitoring and regulatory acts carried out by the Higher Education Department at the ministry level through inspections on private higher education institutions.

“This is in accordance with the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 (Act 555) related to the issuance of fake certificates.

“Additionally, the ministry has a standard operating procedure in place to ensure the authenticity of academic certificates for verification purposes by the public,” it said.

The ministry said previous cases of academic certificate fraud had been successfully solved following public complaints.

“These cases involve fraud syndicates who deceive victims by using the names of the implicated institutions.

“Police reports will also be made to ensure that these fraud syndicates can be curbed,” it added.

The Higher Education Ministry said the public could check the qualifications and information related to recipients of honorary and doctoral degrees through the GREaT KPT portal via https://dohe.mohe.gov.my/award/.

“The public is also advised to remain vigilant for fraud schemes and the sale of academic certificates.

“The ministry remains committed to ensuring that the higher education system is not tainted and does not break the law,” it added.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/08/02/no-compromise-on-sale-of-fake-certs