Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions • Hacker News Board

Re: Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions

#41

Post by 20kleagues » Mon, May 18, 2015, 7:38 AM UTC

asadlionpk wrote: post #37

This is common knowledge for everyone in Pakistan. But they serve legal notice to anyone who says something about it. Famously, Jehan Ara (president of PASHA) was sued for exactly that. Today an acquaintance got takedown notice just for posting link to this article on his FB/Twitter.

Did your acquaintance post it on his/her personal account? I find it alarming that corporations can censor what you share on your own private space online.

Re: Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions

#42

Post by _xcode » Mon, May 18, 2015, 7:47 AM UTC

I wonder why they hire so much engineers then instead of Call Centre agents?

Re: Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions

#43

Post by sparaker » Mon, May 18, 2015, 7:54 AM UTC

suprgeek wrote: post #12

This corrupt river runs deep... There is sustained speculation that this company is a front for money laundering connected to the Pakistani ISI. Their use of lawyers & NDA's is also well known in the subcontinent. For a very similar degree mill of Indian Incarnation check out IIPM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Institute_of_Planning_an... run by the Slick shyster Arindam Chaudhury

I don't think it has anything to do with ISI but i believe they do alot of shady stuff, not just novelty degrees. I have heard about this in particular from ex employees of this company.

Re: Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions

#44

Post by ljf » Mon, May 18, 2015, 8:02 AM UTC

derefr wrote: post #40

Rainymood wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>“Kills your market worth as a professional” That is the most brutal review on an educational programme I've ever read

I find the idea (that having particular job experience could kill my market worth) intriguing, given that I could always just leave the job off my resume.

In some places gaps in your CV are a big problem, as they want to know exactly what you were doing and why you were not employable. The idea that you might have chosen to take time out is pretty new in some areas.

Re: Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions

#45

Post by morgante » Mon, May 18, 2015, 8:17 AM UTC

_xcode wrote: post #42

I wonder why they hire so much engineers then instead of Call Centre agents?

It's a lot of work to maintain hundreds of fake university websites.

Re: Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions

#46

Post by harkyns_castle » Mon, May 18, 2015, 8:18 AM UTC

pki wrote: post #2

What's worse than scamming people? Scamming the most desperate people, trying to better themselves, and then continuing to hit their card from multiple fake companies.

Very true, although I suppose most scams prey on vulnerable people. Be nice to think there's a special circle of Hell for people that'd do this to other people. Are there no laws in Pakistan that prevent this kind of thing from operating? It sounds like its a fairly well known thing... I guess money is greasing the corrupt wheels.

Re: Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions

#47

Post by ansgri » Mon, May 18, 2015, 8:34 AM UTC

derefr wrote: post #40

Rainymood wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>“Kills your market worth as a professional” That is the most brutal review on an educational programme I've ever read

I find the idea (that having particular job experience could kill my market worth) intriguing, given that I could always just leave the job off my resume.

Could you really? I presume most employers will ask you what did you do in that omitted period. At least listening to Career Tools podcast gave me that impression.

Re: Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions

#48

Post by xerophyte12932 » Mon, May 18, 2015, 8:42 AM UTC

20kleagues wrote: post #26

xerophyte12932 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh? Everyone knows they have a shady business. People have known that for years in Pakistan. The Pakistan Software Houses Association condemned Axact to be a diploma Mill long ago.

I had absolutely no clue. But in my defense I have not been in the local job market for some time. If it is such common knowledge, why has not anything been done so far?

As the article says, "All the while, Axact’s role as the owner of this fake education empire remains obscured by proxy Internet services, combative legal tactics and a chronic lack of regulation in Pakistan."

Re: Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions

#49

Post by pjc50 » Mon, May 18, 2015, 8:46 AM UTC

fmax30 wrote: post #4

I always knew that they were doing something shady. Also their employees have to sign NDA's to work. I know quite a few people who worked at Axact. And no one is willing to tell me what kind of work he/she did there. I naturally assumed that it had the backing of the pakistani intelligence agencies guess i was wrong. There is also another thing that i would like to add here, there is an answer on quora which those in…

Backing of some intelligence service, most likely. Or possibly a terrorist organisation. It's certainly an ideal setup for money laundering - paying large sums of money for worthless paper.

Re: Fake Diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani Company Axact Reaps Millions

#50

Post by Myrmornis » Mon, May 18, 2015, 9:17 AM UTC

sukilot wrote: post #30

Why do NYT headline writers write like a dumb college freshman with a thesaurus?

Also not sure if this headline is a good example but I thoroughly agree with your sentiment. NYT headlines are often florid, pretentious and inappropriately "literary", even when dealing with serious and sad topics.