{
  "slug": "diploma-mills-credential-provenance",
  "title": "The degree is real. The university is a mailbox.",
  "summary": "Degree checks confirm a document was issued. They do not confirm the issuer was legitimate or that the presenter earned it. Both gaps are widening.",
  "lede": "Degree verification answers one question: was this credential issued? It does not answer whether the issuer was legitimate, or whether the person presenting it is the person who earned it. Digitising diplomas without fixing both gaps will make credential fraud cheaper rather than harder, because a perfectly signed fake is more convincing than a bad PDF.",
  "date": "2026-09-22",
  "reading_time": "17 min read",
  "category": "Regulated",
  "tags": ["diploma mill", "credential verification", "degree fraud", "accreditation", "verifiable credentials", "background screening"],
  "image": "https://cdn.twc.sh/images/igcache/Diploma%20Mill%20Provenance/1200_630/blog.jpg",
  "url": "/blog/diploma-mills-credential-provenance.html",
  "wordcount": 3751,
  "related": ["credential-zombies", "verify-without-calling-issuer", "ghost-students-financial-aid"],
  "schema": "Article"
}