Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
International

Pakistani Man Charged In USD 140 Million Diploma Mill Fraud In US

Darpan News Desk IANS, 24 Dec, 2016 12:40 PM
    A 30-year-old Pakistani man has been arrested and charged by law enforcement authorities in New York for his role in a 140 million dollar school and college "diploma mill" fraud run through a Pakistani company that was shut down by the country's law enforcement.
     
    Umair Hamid of Karachi was arrested on December 19 and presented in federal court in Kentucky. He has been charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with the worldwide "diploma mill" scheme that collected approximately USD 140 million from tens of thousands of consumers, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara announced.
     
    Mr Hamid and others operated the massive education "diploma mill" through Axact company which has held itself out as one of the world's leading information technology providers.
     
    Working as Axact's Assistant Vice President of International Relations, Mr Hamid and others made misrepresentations to individuals across the world, including throughout the US in order to dupe these individuals into enrolling in supposed high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions.
     
    Consumers paid upfront fees to Mr Hamid and his co-conspirators, believing that in return they would be enrolled in real educational courses and, eventually, receive legitimate degrees. Instead, after paying the upfront fees, consumers did not receive any legitimate instruction and were provided fake and worthless diplomas.
     
    "Hamid allegedly took hefty upfront fees from young men and women seeking an education, leaving them with little more than useless pieces of paper," Mr Bharara said.
     
     
     
    In about May 2015, Axact was shut down by Pakistani law enforcement, and certain individuals associated with Axact were prosecuted in Pakistan.
     
    Most recently, he travelled to the US in order to open a bank account that he has used to collect money from consumers he defrauded. The crackdown on Axact last year had come days after the New York Times had done an exhaustive investigative report on Axact 'Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions.'
     
    Axact had promoted and claimed to have an affiliation with approximately 350 fictitious high schools and universities, which Axact advertised online to consumers as genuine schools.
     
    Through Mr Hamid and his co-conspirators, Axact falsely "accredited" purported colleges and other educational institutions by arranging to have diplomas from these phony educational institutions affixed with fake stamps supposedly bearing the seal and signature of the US Secretary of State, as well as various states and state agencies and federal and state officials.
     
    While based in Pakistan, Mr Hamid was involved in managing and operating online companies that falsely held themselves out to consumers over the Internet as educational institutions.
     
    Mr Hamid is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. 

    MORE International ARTICLES

    101-Year-Old British Man Found Guilty Of Child Sex Offences

    101-Year-Old British Man Found Guilty Of Child Sex Offences
    A 101-year-old man, thought to be the oldest person convicted in British legal history, was today found guilty of historical child sex offences. Jurors found Ralph Clarke from Erdington, Birmingham, guilty of 21 counts of abusing two girls in the 1970s and 80s.

    101-Year-Old British Man Found Guilty Of Child Sex Offences

    Muslim Woman Dragged By Her Hijab In Busy London Shopping Area

    Muslim Woman Dragged By Her Hijab In Busy London Shopping Area
    Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks), the UK's anti-Islamophobia group, called the latest incident "horrific" and said women were being disproportionately targeted in attacks on Muslims.

    Muslim Woman Dragged By Her Hijab In Busy London Shopping Area

    Yahoo Faces Proposed Canadian Class Action Over Compromised User Info

    Yahoo Faces Proposed Canadian Class Action Over Compromised User Info
    TORONTO — Yahoo is now facing a proposed class action on behalf of Canadians whose personal information may have been stolen.

    Yahoo Faces Proposed Canadian Class Action Over Compromised User Info

    Ivanka Trump Could Be The Most Powerful First Lady Ever

    Ivanka Trump Could Be The Most Powerful First Lady Ever
    First ladies aren't always presidential spouses. In fact, two early uses of the title refer to the beautiful, popular Harriet Lane, niece of James Buchanan, the only lifelong bachelor president. 

    Ivanka Trump Could Be The Most Powerful First Lady Ever

    India Remains One Of Fastest-Growing Countries In The World: White House

    India Remains One Of Fastest-Growing Countries In The World: White House
    India remains one of the fastest-growing countries in the world, the White House today said even as it underlined that inefficiencies remain in the public sector of the country with the poor population still lacking healthcare coverage and access to financial services.

    India Remains One Of Fastest-Growing Countries In The World: White House

    Employers Replace Beep-Beep-Beep With 'Psssht-Psssht' Back-up Alarm: WorkSafeBC

    Employers Replace Beep-Beep-Beep With 'Psssht-Psssht' Back-up Alarm: WorkSafeBC
    British Columbia's worker-safety agency says more employers are replacing the beep-beep-beep back-up alarm on vehicles with white noise for safety's sake.

    Employers Replace Beep-Beep-Beep With 'Psssht-Psssht' Back-up Alarm: WorkSafeBC