Hiring in India today is no easy task. The growing pressure to hire fast, combined with intense competition for jobs, has fueled a dangerous trend: fake degrees in India. More employers are now realizing that without proper education verification in India, they risk onboarding candidates with fraudulent academic claims.
From Delhi to Bangalore, Mumbai to Hyderabad, Chennai to Pune, HR leaders are increasingly encountering candidates presenting falsified academic records. This is no longer a fringe issue — fake degrees in India have become a mainstream hiring challenge.
In this comprehensive guide, Pietos explores:
- Why fake degrees are on the rise in India
- The most common forms of education fraud
- City-specific trends across India’s major hiring hubs
- Legal and compliance risks for employers
- How Pietos helps organizations verify education credentials
- Best practices HR leaders should adopt in 2025
What Are Fake Degrees in India?
A fake degree refers to a fraudulent academic certificate that misrepresents a candidate’s education history. These may include:
- Completely fabricated degree certificates
- Genuine certificates from unrecognized or blacklisted universities
- Forged mark sheets with altered grades
- Degrees purchased from “degree mills” online
For HR professionals in Noida, Gurgaon, or Kolkata, this is a nightmare scenario — candidates may look perfect on paper, but their qualifications could be entirely bogus.
Why Fake Degrees Are Growing in India (2025 Trends)
The issue of fake degrees in India has escalated for several reasons:
- Job Market Pressure – In cities like Mumbai and Bangalore, where competition for IT and BFSI roles is intense, candidates feel pressure to exaggerate qualifications.
- Online Degree Mills – With the rise of the internet, fraudulent websites sell fake certificates at low cost.
- Lack of Verification – Many small and mid-size employers in Ahmedabad, Pune, and Hyderabad still skip formal education verification to save costs.
- Faster Hiring Cycles – Startups in Gurgaon and Bangalore rush to close roles, creating gaps for fraudsters to slip through.
👉 Result: HR ends up onboarding candidates with fabricated education credentials, exposing companies to compliance risks and reputational damage.
Types of Education Fraud in India
1. Completely Fake Universities
India has witnessed hundreds of unaccredited institutions issuing degrees. For example, the UGC regularly publishes lists of fake universities operating in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
2. Forged Mark Sheets
Candidates often tamper with marksheets — changing grades, adding subjects, or editing scanned copies. This is especially common in Kolkata and Chennai where regional universities are targeted.
3. Degree Mills & Online Sellers
Websites sell degrees claiming to be from international institutions. Employers in IT hubs like Bangalore and Hyderabad often face this type of fraud.
4. Genuine Degree, Fake Recognition
Some degrees are genuine but from blacklisted or unrecognized universities. Employers in Delhi and Pune have seen this risk when hiring graduates from lesser-known institutes.
City-Specific Trends: Where Fake Degrees Are Most Common
While fake degrees are a pan-India problem, different cities show different patterns:
- Delhi NCR (Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon): High volume of fake universities; HR teams regularly face forged documents during bulk hiring.
- Mumbai: Candidates applying for BFSI roles often present fabricated postgraduate degrees.
- Bangalore: IT employers see a surge of fake international degrees purchased online.
- Hyderabad: Startup boom creates pressure, leading to overlooked verifications and rampant falsified B.Tech/MBA certificates.
- Chennai: Forged mark sheets from regional universities are frequently used.
- Pune: Tech and BPO hiring hubs face cases of candidates exaggerating academic levels.
- Kolkata: Reports of forged certificates from unaccredited institutions.
- Ahmedabad: Manufacturing and service sector employers face fake diploma/ITI certificates.
The Risk of Ignoring Fake Degrees
Employers who overlook education verification face serious consequences:
- Compliance Risks – Hiring a candidate with a fake degree could invite legal and regulatory penalties.
- Financial Losses – Wrong hires cost time, training, and opportunity costs.
- Reputation Damage – Clients may lose trust if they discover your workforce is underqualified.
- Operational Risks – In BFSI and IT, unqualified hires can cause data breaches, fraud, or financial mismanagement.
For HR leaders in high-risk industries across Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, ignoring education verification is no longer an option.
Legal Implications of Fake Degrees in India
India has strict laws governing fraudulent education claims:
- Indian Penal Code (IPC): Sections 420 (cheating) and 468 (forgery) apply to candidates submitting fake degrees.
- Companies Act: Employers may face compliance issues if unqualified employees are onboarded.
- UGC Regulations: Using a degree from a fake university listed by UGC is considered invalid.
👉 Recent cases in Hyderabad and Delhi courts highlight how employers are also held accountable if they fail to verify candidate qualifications.
How Pietos Helps Employers Detect Fake Degrees in India
At Pietos, we specialize in education verification across India’s leading universities and institutions. Our process ensures HR teams can trust every credential.
Our Education Verification Services Include:
- Direct verification with universities/colleges and boards (Delhi University, Mumbai University, Bangalore University, etc.)
- Authentication of mark sheets and transcripts
- Checking UGC and AICTE recognition status
- Detecting tampering or forged digital documents
- Pan-India coverage: Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Gurgaon, Noida, Kolkata, Ahmedabad
👉 Whether you are hiring in IT (Bangalore), BFSI (Mumbai), Startups (Gurgaon), or Microfinance (Kolkata), Pietos ensures every degree is legitimate.
Employer Best Practices for Preventing Fake Degrees
- Make Education Verification Mandatory – No exceptions, even for senior hires.
- Use Digital Verification Tools – Fast-track checks through Digilocker, especially for high-volume hiring in Pune and Bangalore.
- Cross-Verify with UGC Lists – Regularly consult the UGC’s updated list of fake universities.
- Partner with Trusted Vendors – Work with companies like Pietos that have pan-India coverage.
- Train HR Teams to Spot Red Flags – Inconsistent formatting, incorrect seals, and unusual university names.
Candidate Best Practices (Building Trust)
For genuine candidates, resume fraud can still create suspicion. Here’s how candidates can avoid being misjudged:
- Always provide official transcripts and certificates.
- Be transparent if a degree is from an unrecognized institution.
- Use DigiLocker (government portal) for verified documents.
Case Study: Detecting a Fake MBA in Bangalore
A fintech employer in Bangalore approached Pietos to verify a candidate’s MBA degree. The certificate claimed to be from a reputed university in Delhi.
Upon verification, our team discovered the degree was purchased from a degree mill operating in Noida. The employer avoided onboarding a fraudulent candidate who could have caused significant financial risk.
👉 This is just one of many examples where Pietos saved employers from compliance and financial headaches.
Conclusion: Education Verification Is Non-Negotiable
Fake degrees in India are not just a hiring inconvenience — they are a serious threat to compliance, trust, and business reputation.
From Delhi to Mumbai, Bangalore to Chennai, Hyderabad to Kolkata, employers are waking up to the need for robust education verification.
At Pietos, we help organizations protect themselves against resume fraud with fast, reliable, and compliant education checks.
👉 Already exploring education verification in India? Don’t miss our related article: Resume Fraud India: Complete Employer’s Guide (2025) | Pietos.
Looking for a trusted education verification partner in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, or anywhere in India?
📩 Contact Pietos at contact@pietos.com to ensure every hire is backed by trust or call us on 9821011624 for more details.
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