"We produce all kinds of diplomas..."

Báo Thừa Thiên Huế•22/05/2023

Buying a diploma is as easy as buying vegetables.

Every day, many people, including myself, constantly receive text messages from unknown phone numbers "advertising" the production of various documents such as: driver's licenses, vocational diplomas, university degrees, certificates, vehicle registration certificates, etc. The messages often include offers like: "We can quickly produce motorcycle and car licenses, college and university degrees, citizen identification cards… and other required documents," and leave a phone number for customers to contact if needed. They even guarantee "this is a reputable, secure, and 100% authentic service."

In reality, the use of sophisticated methods by those involved in forging diplomas and documents with high accuracy makes it difficult for investigative agencies, negatively impacts the reputation of training institutions, causes public outrage, and complicates the recruitment process. These forged documents and diplomas come in various prices, including a health certificate for 600,000 VND, a citizen identification card for 900,000 VND; a driver's license (with accompanying documents) for 1.4 million VND; land ownership certificates ranging from 1.5 to 4 million VND; and university diplomas ranging from 3 million to 7 million VND (depending on the school and accompanying transcript)...

Recently, the Provincial People's Court tried Pham Tan Huy (born in 1984, residing in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City) and six accomplices for the crime of "Forging documents and seals of organizations and agencies." According to the indictment, in June 2020, Huy researched online how to forge various types of documents and ordered online various machines and equipment such as: color printers, scanners, photocopiers, embossers, plastic card printers, heat presses, cutters, and materials for forgery. Huy rented a house in Binh Hung Hoa Ward, Binh Tan District (Ho Chi Minh City) to set up the machinery for committing the crime. Afterward, Huy and his accomplices posted advertisements on social media offering to forge various types of documents and seals of organizations and agencies at publicly advertised prices, inviting individuals in need to contact them. The fake documents, once completed, will be sent to customers via courier companies such as J&T, Viettel Post, etc. After receiving the goods, customers will pay by bank transfer.

Using the aforementioned methods, between June 2020 and December 2021, Huy and his accomplices forged 665 documents and papers of agencies and organizations on order from individuals nationwide. In addition, Huy personally forged 1,214 types of documents and papers of agencies and organizations, earning hundreds of millions of dong in illicit profits.

Notably, through this case, the investigating agency identified many individuals in the province involved in the buying and selling of counterfeit documents. However, through investigation, these individuals had not yet used the counterfeit documents, so the files were transferred to local police for administrative penalties according to their authority.

Raising public awareness

The case involves Pham Tan Quang (born in 1974, residing in Vinh An commune, Phu Vang district) who received a deposit of 70 million VND from a person residing in Hue City for the sale of a plot of land. According to the agreement, the two parties would go to a notary office after one month to transfer ownership. However, on the scheduled notarization date, Quang conceived the idea of having someone else forge a land use right certificate to give to the victim, and then received an additional 115 million VND from the land sale. Afterward, Quang and the buyer went to the Phu Vang District People's Committee to sign the notarized land transfer contract.

Upon inspection, authorities discovered that the land use right certificate provided by Quang showed signs of forgery. Therefore, the land registration office sent the certificate to the Phu Vang District Police Investigation Department for expert examination and confirmation that it was indeed fake. Quang was subsequently prosecuted for the crime of using forged seals or documents of an agency or organization.

According to authorities, the use of forged documents and seals is a violation of the law, not only affecting the reputation, honor, and interests of the organization or agency being forged, but also impacting public security, order, and social justice. To prevent the proliferation of forged documents, diplomas, and certificates, recruiting units should verify the authenticity of these documents and certificates, tracing their origin through relevant authorities, the police force, personnel departments, or training institutions.

Along with the involvement of law enforcement agencies, every citizen needs to raise their awareness in combating this type of crime.

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