Petition to Stop Liars From Faking Their Degrees and Education
Have you ever been lied to about someone's education or college degrees? It's a huge problem that impacts all of us - employers hiring unqualified people, investors being misled, organizations trusting the wrong folks with important jobs. (Remember George Santos?!) When people lie about graduating or earning degrees they don't really have, it's academic fraud and scammers love it.
The costs are massive. Companies can lose millions by making bad hires. Investors get tricked into backing the wrong executives. Churches, nonprofits, schools - you name it - they all get duped when fraudsters claim fake credentials. We're talking financial ruin, unsafe products, and undermining the credentials that hard-working students genuinely earned.
Enough is enough. For decades, these liars have been able to fake it because it's too hard to verify someone's college claims. It's time to close this loophole that makes academic fraud so easy.
We're calling on Congress to update the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to require colleges to publicly share some basic facts online and available to all:
Full Name;Birthdate (month/day only)Dates attended;Degree earned and date graduated.
Just those few details would let employers, investors, or anyone easily double check someone's claims.
Colleges not complying within 6 months? They lose access to federal student loans. This gives schools a major incentive to start sharing - no more hiding records that help liars get away with fraud.
It's a simple fix to protect all of us from academic fraudsters. No more passing off a fake Harvard MBA. No more claiming a degree you dropped out to avoid. Just the truth about someone's real education credentials.
Sign this petition if you're fed up with liars faking their way into jobs and opportunities they don't deserve. Let's close this loophole that costs us all so much money, time, and trust. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to stopping academic fraud in its tracks.
WE. ALL. HATE. SCAMMERS.
Thank you for signing this important petition. If you want to take more proactive steps, please contact your Congressional representative using the following methods in order of efficiency:
Script and Draft: Use the provided script and draft letter/email as a starting point to personally call or write to your Representative and Senators. Personal outreach carries more weight.Letter: Send a printed letter to the district office of your Representative and Senators using the draft as a guide.Email: Email your Representative and Senators using the draft message and be sure to include your full name and address to verify you are a constituent.
Taking these proactive steps, especially the more impactful phone calls and printed letters, will amplify this petition and push Congress to prioritize amending FERPA to combat academic credential fraud. Every call, letter and email makes a difference in getting this common-sense reform passed. Together, we can close the loophole that allows academic fraudsters to lie and ensure only those with legitimate educational credentials obtain positions of trust and responsibility.
https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
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DRAFT LEGISLATION
Section 1. Short Title
This Act may be cited as the "Educational Institution Transparency and Public Protection Act of 2024".
Section 2. Disclosure of Limited Student Information
(a) In General - Each institution of higher education participating in any program under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) shall, not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, establish and maintain a publicly accessible electronic database containing the following information for each student who is enrolled or was previously enrolled at the institution:
(1) The student's full name.
(2) The dates of the student's attendance at the institution.
(3) The student's graduation date and degree awarded, if applicable.
(4) The student's date of birth, excluding the year.
(b) Update Requirements - The database described in subsection (a) shall be updated not less than once every academic year.
(c) Accessibility - The database described in subsection (a) shall be easily accessible to the public through the website of the institution.
(d) Prohibition on the Disclosure of Sensitive Information - The database described in subsection (a) shall not include any information regarding a student's social security number, financial information, health records, disciplinary records, or any other information that could be used to identify or harm the student beyond the scope of this Act.
Section 3. Penalties
(a) In General - The Secretary of Education shall impose a civil penalty in accordance with subsection (b) on any institution of higher education that fails to comply with the requirements of section 2.
(b) Amount of Penalty - The amount of a civil penalty under subsection (a) shall be not less than $1,000 and not more than $10,000 for each day the institution is in noncompliance with the requirements of section 2.
(c) Loss of Federal Funding - An institution of higher education that fails to comply with the requirements of section 2 for more than 180 consecutive days shall lose eligibility for federal loan funding under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.).
Section 4. Data Security
Each institution of higher education shall implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices to protect the database described in section 2 from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure.
Section 5. Public Interest Determination
Congress finds that the public disclosure of the information required under section 2, notwithstanding the prohibition on the disclosure of sensitive information, is in the public interest and necessary for the protection of the public from fraud and misrepresentation.
Section 6. Effective Date
This Act shall take effect 180 days after the date of enactment.
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While Congress may feel calls are the most impactful, a professional yet cheeky multi-pronged approach - a scripted phone blitz, a deluge of printed letters, and a bombardment of constituent emails - is the most effective way to ensure they amend FERPA to combat those unscrupulous academic credential fraudsters.
Remember, always be courteous and respectful but let your feelings known. Together we can help combat fraud and reduce scams.
DRAFT SCRIPT:
Phone Script: Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I am a constituent from [Your City/State]. I am calling to express my strong support for the Educational Institution Transparency and Public Protection Act of 2024. This legislation is crucial in combating fraud and misinformation in higher education and protecting the public interest. I urge Representative/Senator [Name] to support this bill and work towards its passage. Thank you for your time and consideration.
DRAFT LETTER OR EMAIL:
Letter/Email: Subject: Support for the Educational Institution Transparency and Public Protection Act of 2024
Dear Representative/Senator [Name],
As a constituent from [Your City/State], I am writing to express my strong support for the Educational Institution Transparency and Public Protection Act of 2024. This legislation is essential in addressing the growing problem of fraud and misinformation in higher education.
The Act would require institutions of higher education to maintain a publicly accessible database containing limited but essential information about current and former students, while safeguarding sensitive personal data. By promoting transparency, this legislation would help individuals and organizations verify educational backgrounds, reduce the risk of fraud, and protect the public interest.
I urge you to support the Educational Institution Transparency and Public Protection Act of 2024 and work towards its swift passage. Your commitment to this critical issue is greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
