Livestreaming classes selling fake degree certifications; no certificate provided after payment

Who Gets Targeted

Victims are primarily low-scoring high school graduates, working professionals seeking career advancement, failed study-abroad applicants, and their parents. They generally suffer from anxiety over 'not having high enough scores but desiring a bachelor's degree' or possess a superficial understanding of overseas degree certification rules, believing they can bypass formal admission procedures through so-called 'direct university admission' or 'cooperative programs.' Marketing tactics in livestreams create a sense of urgency—'limited spots,' 'last three days for this batch'—and when combined with the host displaying forged success stories and transfer records, victims are easily led astray. Before paying, few verify whether the school is registered on the Ministry of Education's Supervision Information Network for Foreign Education, only realizing they have been scammed when they cannot get a refund and the certificate fails certification.

骗局怎么运作

• Step 1: Setting up livestreaming classes and fake personas: Scam groups open online livestreaming classes under names like 'XX International Education' or 'XX University Cooperative Program.' The host claims to be an 'admissions officer' or 'academic planning mentor,' with the livestream background filled with flags and certificates of prestigious universities to create an atmosphere of official authorization. They repeatedly emphasize, 'We have a green channel with the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE),' to dispel audience doubts.
• Step 2: Precision targeting and traffic redirection: They purchase keyword ads on short-video platforms and social media, such as 'Get a bachelor's degree with only 300 points' or 'Study at top overseas universities without language scores,' or offer low-cost trial classes in livestreaming squares to entice low-scoring students and parents to provide their phone numbers. A report by CCTV.com in August 2025 exposed this precise phishing chain—after ad redirection, 'academic consultants' follow up one-on-one.
• Step 3: Creating scarcity and promising 'guaranteed certification' during livestreams: Hosts display forged 'cooperative university authorization letters' and 'previous student certificates' during class, claiming, 'This enrollment enjoys a university subsidy, with only 5 spots left.' They also promise a 'full refund if the Ministry of Education certification is not obtained,' laying the groundwork for later refusing refunds.
• Step 4: Collecting high fees and obscuring payment categories: Victims are guided to pay multiple fees, such as 'registration fees,' 'credit fees,' and 'certification service fees,' totaling anywhere from several thousand to over 100,000 yuan. Payment accounts are usually personal accounts or third-party merchant accounts rather than official educational institution accounts. A case in Anhui involving a medical examination agency using loopholes in the National Health Commission's query system to produce fake certificates shows that such agencies often split fees into 'training fees' and 'certificate processing fees' to evade regulation.
• Step 5: Delaying certificate issuance and cutting contact: After payment, scammers delay for months using excuses like 'course credits not yet completed' or 'long certification review cycles,' eventually closing the livestream room and blocking the students. Some groups even guide students to log in to a fake 'degree certification query website,' which shows the status as 'verifiable' after entering information, until years later when the certificate is found to be non-existent in the CSCSE system. The typical case of a fake degree certification website reported by the Ministry of Public Security's Cybersecurity Bureau in June 2026 is an upgraded version of this tactic.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 Red Flag 1: The livestream or promotional page promises 'guaranteed pass and certification' or a 'Ministry of Education green channel,' whereas the Ministry of Education has clearly stated it has never authorized any agency to provide paid degree certification services.
• 🚩 Red Flag 2: The so-called 'overseas university' is not on the list of institutions published on the Ministry of Education's Supervision Information Network for Foreign Education or the China Study Abroad Network, or the school name is highly similar to a legitimate university but with one or two characters added.
• 🚩 Red Flag 3: Payment is requested to be made to a personal bank card, WeChat, or Alipay private account rather than an official account of a school or educational institution.
• 🚩 Red Flag 4: Claims of 'no need to go abroad/no need to attend classes, get a diploma remotely.' The CSCSE has repeatedly warned in 2026 that cross-border distance learning diplomas will not be certified.
• 🚩 Red Flag 5: Certificates of successful students shown in the livestream cannot be verified on the CHSI (China Higher Education Student Information) website or the official CSCSE website, and only a link to a fake query website is provided.

真实案例

• Case 1: In June 2026, the Cybersecurity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security reported a typical case of a fake degree certification website—a group set up a counterfeit 'Ministry of Education Degree Certification' website, claiming to process domestic and overseas degree certifications and collecting fees. The individuals involved were investigated according to the law, and details were publicly reported by media such as China News Service.
• Case 2: In April 2026, Fuzhou reported five typical cases of livestream e-commerce fraud, including a case involving the sale of online courses by creating fake 'civil servant' and 'police' personas. The host fabricated a public official identity in the livestream and sold so-called 'guaranteed pass courses' and 'certificate processing services' using 'internal channel' rhetoric. Multiple students found the course content empty and the certificates unfulfillable after payment, leading to the agency being penalized by market regulators.
• Case 3: Between 2025 and 2026, the Ministry of Education issued multiple warnings naming 'pay-to-enter-university' style false advertising and exposed websites and self-media outlets impersonating universities for fake recruitment. The School of Continuing Education of a university in Hubei issued a statement in 2026 claiming that an agency was conducting online livestream recruitment in the school's name for 'getting a degree without exams.' The university clarified it had not authorized any third party and reminded students to verify through the official website.
• In June 2026, among the typical cases of counterfeit websites announced by the Ministry of Public Security's Cybersecurity Bureau, public security organs in Wuwei, Gansu, found that Zhao had commissioned Lu to set up 18 fake degree certification websites, providing online verification for fake degrees and producing 2,406 counterfeit degree and graduation certificates. A group in Linxia, Gansu, produced 4,125 counterfeit certificates and nearly 6,000 forged seals. All involved individuals were subject to criminal coercive measures. (Source: https://m.gmw.cn/2026-06/05/content_1304484807.htm)

Official Stance

• In June 2026, the Ministry of Education issued a study abroad warning, reminding students and parents to be wary of false advertisements such as 'pay-to-enter-university,' and stating that cross-border distance learning diplomas will not be certified.
• In June 2026, the Cybersecurity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security reported typical cases of fake degree certification websites, advising the public to verify the authenticity of certificates through official channels.
• In July 2026, CNR News reported on the chaos of non-degree educational institutions 'fishing in troubled waters,' warning against 'fake university' recruitment tactics, where institutions often impersonate prestigious universities to sell online courses and certificates.

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Step 1: Check qualifications before payment: Log in to the Ministry of Education's Supervision Information Network for Foreign Education (jsj.moe.gov.cn) or the China Study Abroad Network (cscse.edu.cn) to verify if the institution is on the certified list; for domestic degrees, verify via the CHSI website.
• ✅ Step 2: Refuse 'private account transfers': Any request to pay tuition or certification fees into a personal account or an unknown third-party payment platform should lead to an immediate termination of communication.
• ✅ Step 3: Request official written documents: Legitimate university admission must include an official admission letter, which can be verified via the university's official website or phone; do not trust screenshots displayed by 'admissions officers' in livestreams.
• ✅ Step 4: Save evidence and report: If you discover suspicious livestreams or advertisements, record the livestream replay, save chat logs and transfer receipts, call 12315 or submit a report via the National Anti-Fraud Center App, and report the livestream room to the platform.