Can Blockchain Help Fight Certificate Fraud in Education and Training?

Fight Certificate Fraud with Blockchain

With the world going digital, the fake certificate industry is booming and growing by the day. Moreover, sophisticated organizations are churning out certificates that are an exact replica of original certificates, making it difficult to spot the fake from the original. Such organizations do not undermine the authenticity of authorized certificates but can also lead to more serious complications. However, you can authenticate and certify documents with blockchain to prevent certificate fraud in education and training.

What is Certificate Fraud, and What are the Problems Associated With Fake Certificates?

Before we dive into the deep end and uncover the drawbacks of fake certificates, let’s first understand what certificate fraud is.

Certificate fraud in education and training refers to the issuance of fake certificates to make counterfeit declarations about an individual’s educational qualifications or skills possessed. This is usually done with the intention of duping someone for personal or financial gain.

For instance, if Max, a business major and avid space explorer, wants to get into a reputed university’s space research program,  he could either have to switch his major—if the option is still available—or contact a fake certificate organization to procure a fake certificate from an obscure or fake university. In certain cases, if the individual is particularly brave, they might also opt for a fake university from a renowned university.

Fake certificates are an issue because:

  • They dupe organizations and diminish the effort put in by genuine individuals who pour in their sweat, blood, and tears to earn a legitimate certificate.
  • They have far-reaching consequences:
    • If a university admits an unqualified individual into a coveted masters program, the average performance of the class might go down.
    • Deserving candidates will miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
    • Unqualified individuals with jobs requiring special knowledge are a threat to society. Examples include an accountant, doctor, lawyer, police officer, architect, nurse, banker, and more.
  • They undermine the goodwill of the issuing authority and make a mockery out of the employer, leading to legal and financial issues.

But not all is lost. Certificate fraud in education and training can be fought with blockchain certification.

Fight Certificate Fraud With Blockchain

Blockchain-based verifiable credentials are the ideal solution to certificate fraud. Verifiable credentials are a digital version of physical certificates or can be issued anew to make legitimate claims about an individual’s educational or training qualifications.

These digital certificates can only be issued by authorized organizations—the ones following the standards and regulations laid down in the Verifiable Credentials Data Model 1.0 by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Moreover, being hosted on blockchain, these credentials are tamper-proof, can be verified by machines, and usually employ privacy enhancing technology like Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs).

Further, they are transparent, can be easily verified on blockchain networks, can be shared instantly, and prevent certificate fraud.

Looking for a trusted platform to fight certificate fraud and issue verifiable credentials right away? Look no further than ProofEasy. ProofEasy is a state-of-the-art solution, employing patented blockchain and QR code technology to help you issue, share, store, and verify documents seamlessly.