Cross-Border Remote Online Degree Scam: CSCSE Cracks Down on 122 Individuals, Imposing Lifelong Credit Disciplinary Actions

Who Gets Targeted

The victims are primarily working youths, exam-preparing students, and individuals seeking to quickly acquire overseas diplomas to boost their competitiveness. Generally burdened by credential anxiety, they are lured by live-streaming pitches such as "admission without exams, fully online coursework, degree attainment in one year, and CSCSE-certifiable," and gullibly trust forged authorization documents. Some individuals, aware that the coursework's substance is questionable, take a gamble and pin their hopes on "buying time with money," only to lose both their money and the credential, or even find themselves placed on the lifelong credit blacklist for cooperating with intermediaries to submit fraudulent materials.

骗局怎么运作

• Step 1: Establishing an authoritative persona in the live stream. Fraudsters register "education consulting" accounts, using backgrounds featuring prestige university emblems, embassies, or authentication centers. The host poses as an "admissions officer" or "authentication consultant," displaying forged authorization agreements during the broadcast and describing cross-border remote online classes as an "official exclusive project."
• Step 2: Creating a sense of scarcity and urgency. The host claims that "only three slots remain this quarter" or that "international student visa policies are about to tighten," using countdown timers and limited-time discounts to pressure viewers into paying a deposit promptly. The narrative revolves around psychological pressure such as "miss out and wait another year," prompting victims to make impulsive payments without verification.
• Step 3: Directing payments to personal or third-party accounts. Fraudsters demand tuition fees be transferred to personal bank cards, WeChat, or Alipay accounts, claiming these are "official designated channels" while refusing to provide corporate accounts. Following payment, they send only an electronic receipt bearing the organization's logo, without a formal invoice or legally binding contract.
• Step 4: Delivering low-quality pre-recorded courses. The so-called "study abroad courses" are actually pre-recorded video links or encrypted cloud drive materials, lacking student registration, course selection systems, or instructor Q&A sessions. Trainees are added to a WeChat group where most "classmates" are shills, and the group continuously posts fake learning results and screenshots of successful authentication.
• Step 5: Secondary fee collection under the guise of authentication. When trainees inquire about authentication progress, fraudsters levy additional fees under pretexts such as "material pre-audit fees," "expedited authentication fees," or "supplementary credit fees," and send forged authentication progress screenshots. Each inquiry is met with newly fabricated excuses, stalling until they cut off contact or directly block the trainee.
• Step 6: Destroying tracks and shifting locations. When victims file concentrated complaints, fraudsters log out of the live-streaming room, disband WeChat groups, change phone numbers, and reopen accounts under a different identity. Some victims who independently submit authentication applications to the CSCSE discover that their materials have been tampered with or forged, leading them to be classified as fraudulent applications and permanently losing their authentication eligibility.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 Live streams claiming "full online coursework, exam-free, guaranteed authentication," which directly conflicts with the official stance of the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange that cross-border remote degrees fall outside the scope of authentication.
• 🚩 Payment recipients are personal bank cards, WeChat, or Alipay rather than the school's corporate account, coupled with a refusal to provide formal invoices.
• 🚩 Promotional materials use ambiguous terms such as "internal channels," "special quotas," or "policy dividends," failing to provide specific document numbers from the Ministry of Education or CSCSE.
• 🚩 Live stream backgrounds, official website screenshots, or authorization documents show obvious Photoshop edits, university name spelling errors, or domains mimicking official university websites.
• 🚩 Requirements to pay a deposit first and sign a contract later, with contract clauses dodging refund conditions and breach liabilities, while all commitments are made solely through verbal agreements or WeChat chats.
• 🚩 Inability to find the school and program on official foreign-related regulatory information networks and the CSCSE official website, with fraudsters brushing it off using excuses such as "information not yet synchronized."

真实案例

• In 2026, the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange launched a public crackdown, imposing lifelong credit disciplinary sanctions on 122 applicants who submitted fraudulent materials in their authentication applications, emphasizing that certificates obtained through cross-border remote online courses are outside the authentication scope. Multiple study-abroad agencies forwarded this announcement, reminding students to be wary of so-called "remote study abroad" programs. (Source: [https://www.eic.org.cn/news/detail/819cb3ab267d4e3b836614aaa5558d0b](https://www.eic.org.cn/news/detail/819cb3ab267d4e3b836614aaa5558d0b))
• On June 5, 2026, the Cybersecurity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security released typical cases of "fake degree authentication and other websites," revealing that bad actors set up authentication platforms mimicking the CSCSE, inducing applicants to fill in personal information online and pay authentication fees. The individuals involved have been dealt with in accordance with the law. (Source: [https://www.chinanews.com/gn/2026/06-05/10634510.shtml](https://www.chinanews.com/gn/2026/06-05/10634510.shtml))
• In a typical live-streaming e-commerce case reported by Fuzhou, the involved host fabricated official public identities as a "civil servant" and "police officer," selling online courses using the narrative of "earning over 10,000 yuan a month." Investigations revealed that the host had actually only served briefly as an auxiliary police officer. By the time of the investigation, courses had been sold to 115 people with sales totaling 566,900 yuan, constituting false commercial advertising. The Nanhai District Market Regulation Bureau of Foshan City investigated and penalized the case in December 2025 in accordance with the Anti-Unfair Competition Law. (Source: [https://news.fznews.com.cn/gngj/20260429/p0N6279Jt7.shtml](https://news.fznews.com.cn/gngj/20260429/p0N6279Jt7.shtml))
• On June 5, 2026, the Cybersecurity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security published 5 typical criminal cases involving imitation and counterfeit websites: Public security authorities in Wuwei, Gansu, apprehended two suspects, Zhao and Lu, uncovering that they set up and operated 18 counterfeit websites and produced 2,406 forged degree and graduation certificates; public security authorities in Linxia, Gansu, found that Yuan's syndicate produced 4,125 forged academic certificates and 5,976 forged official seals, with all involved individuals being subjected to criminal compulsory measures in accordance with the law. (Source: [https://m.gmw.cn/2026-06/05/content_1304484807.htm](https://m.gmw.cn/2026-06/05/content_1304484807.htm))

Official Stance

• In 2026, the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange reminded the public: Cross-border remote degree certificates are not within the scope of authentication; guard against study-abroad fraud risks.
• On June 26, 2026, the Ministry of Education issued a warning titled "Pay Money to Directly Enter University? Beware of False Advertising Traps," urging candidates and parents to enhance their awareness of precautions.
• On June 5, 2026, the Cybersecurity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security published typical cases of fake academic credential authentication websites and announced related criminal methods.
• In 2026, the School of Continuing Education of Hubei University issued a statement stating that certain websites and self-media outlets were conducting false enrollment promotions under the university's name, reminding the public not to be deceived.

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Before registering, log onto the Ministry of Education's Foreign-Related Regulatory Information Network and the CSCSE official website, enter the school name to check if it is on the authenticated list, and do not rely on screenshots displayed in live streams.
• ✅ Maintain vigilance against promotions of "full online courses, guaranteed authentication." The authorities categorically do not authenticate cross-border remote degrees, and any claims of being able to bypass this are scams.
• ✅ When making payments, insist on transferring through corporate accounts, request formal invoices and sign complete contracts, and refuse to transfer tuition fees to personal accounts.
• ✅ Preserve evidence such as live-stream screen recordings, promotional images, chat logs, and transfer vouchers. If scammed, immediately dial 110 or report the case via the National Anti-Fraud Center App, while also reporting to the CSCSE.
• ✅ Do not harbor wishful thinking or cooperate with intermediaries to forge application materials. Once identified as a fraudulent application, you will face lifelong credit disciplinary penalties, outweighing any potential gains.