How to avoid fraud and guarantee the authenticity of academic training diplomas
More and more educational centers and companies are facing the same problem: how to know if a diploma is authentic? How to verify that a person has undergone real training and has not presented a manipulated or even fake document?
With the digitalization of educational processes, academic fraud has not disappeared: it has been transformed. Today, easily editable PDF certificates, forged diplomas with real university logos and degrees that cannot be checked against any reliable source are in circulation. This problem affects not only the centers that issue them, but also the honest students and the organizations that hire or validate profiles.
This article explores practical and current ways to avoid these frauds and explains how schools can strengthen credential verification without complicating their lives or relying on time-consuming, manual processes.
The risk of relying on certificates without verification
For years, many centers have operated without a clear system to validate the authenticity of the diplomas they issue. Most continue to issue diplomas on paper or in PDF format, without any associated security measures. The result is that, once in the hands of the student, the certificate can be shared, edited or forged without anyone detecting it.
At the same time, the companies that receive these documents - especially in selection processes - do not have the tools to validate whether the title is authentic. And the most worrying thing: according to several studies, a large proportion of companies do not even try.
This creates an environment where fraud goes undetected and where confidence in academic qualifications can be eroded. Avoiding this does not require a technological revolution, but it does require an improvement in issuance and verification processes and tools.
How to ensure the veracity of the certificates you issue
When a center wants to guarantee the veracity of its academic training, there are several key aspects to review. The first is the format of the certificates themselves:
- Are they digital?
- Do they include a unique identifier or verification code?
- Do you have a system to be contrasted online?
In addition to the format, it is important to think about the process:
- From which system are they generated?
- Who issues them and with what permissions?
- Where are they stored?
Today there are solutions that allow, for example, to issue digital certificates with verification links or QR that allow any third party to check if the diploma is authentic and to which training it corresponds. This avoids having to contact the center and reduces the possibility of fraud to a minimum.
Identity verification: the key step in online training
In increasingly widespread online training, a diploma is only of value if it can be guaranteed that the person who received it actually took the training. This is where identity verification comes into play, a step that many centers have begun to incorporate into their processes.
Some measures being implemented:
- Validation of documents at the beginning of the course.
- Use of platforms that record activity, access and evaluations.
- Systems that integrate facial recognition or biometric verification, especially in final evaluations.
It is not about monitoring the student, but about being able to affirm, if someone asks, that "this person is who he/she says he/she is, and has passed this course legitimately".
What other centers are doing to prevent fraud
From small academies to established universities, many centers are adopting verification technology solutions. Some best practices include:
- Issue certificates from centralized platforms, instead of Word or manipulable PDFs.
- Associate a unique code or digital hash to each document, which can be validated at any time.
- Include security measures such as blockchain or automatic timestamps, which seal the credential at the time of issuance.
Most of these solutions do not require technical knowledge. They can be easily integrated with Excel spreadsheets, forms or educational platforms that the center already uses.
How to choose the right solution for your facility
Every institution has different needs. Therefore, when considering the implementation of a digital verification system, some factors should be taken into account:
- The volume of diplomas you issue per month.
- The level of security you want to offer.
- If you need integration with other platforms (such as Moodle, Excel, etc.).
- Whether your courses are online, face-to-face or blended.
There are very light and affordable options for small centers, and other more robust ones designed for universities or training networks. The key is that you can manage it easily and without relying on third parties.
Actual uses of verifiable certificates
Implementing a verification system is not just a control issue. It also adds real value to diplomas and improves their use in key contexts:
- Candidates who include them in their LinkedIn profile, where companies can check validity with one click.
- Admission processes to other centers or programs, where sending the QR of the diploma avoids paperwork.
- Companies that collaborate with academies or bootcamps and want to have clear guarantees of the level of training.
In all these cases, having an active verification system gives a direct advantage to the student and the center.
From one-time validation to an automatic and constant system
One of the most common mistakes is to think of verification as a one-off procedure: someone asks you to validate a diploma and you do it. But in reality, what more and more centers are building is a permanent verification system, where all the diplomas that are issued are already designed to be verified when necessary.
This completely changes the dynamic: you no longer have to answer emails to confirm titles. Anyone who has the document can validate it on their own. This saves time, builds trust and improves the experience for everyone: the center, the student and the recipient of the certificate.
How platforms such as De Truth
Without direct promotion, it is worth mentioning that there are specific solutions that already address all these points. For example, De Truth allows schools to issue tokenized digital academic credentials. Each one is unique, secure and can be verified from anywhere.
This means that a student can show his or her diploma on LinkedIn, send it by email or include it in a selection process, and the person who receives it can instantly check if it is authentic, without having to contact the school.
These types of solutions help build a more transparent ecosystem, where trust is based on verifiable data rather than easily modified paperwork.
Educational transparency: the new standard for trust
In a world where more and more processes are digital, educational institutions must also adapt. Ensuring that the diplomas you issue cannot be forged - and that anyone can check their validity - is a direct way to protect the value of your training.
Today, it is not enough to teach well. It is also necessary to demonstrate it well. And that starts with having an automated verification system that is transparent and accessible to all.
