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2004: Psst. Wanna Buy a Ph.D.?

August 28, 2016
2004: Psst. Wanna Buy a Ph.D.? 1

A memorable collection of characters populated The Chronicle’s coverage of diploma mills, which had become a multimillion-dollar industry. There was the former nightclub hypnotist who lived on an 80-foot yacht until he went to jail for mail fraud. The phone-bank entrepreneur, complete with chauffeur and bodyguard, whose employees called him the “King of Romania.” The Atlantis-obsessed psychic who accredited her “university” with her own accrediting agency. Thousands of people bought phony academic credentials from such worldwide operations, which proved difficult to shut down.

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2004: Psst. Wanna Buy a Ph.D.? 1

A memorable collection of characters populated The Chronicle’s coverage of diploma mills, which had become a multimillion-dollar industry. There was the former nightclub hypnotist who lived on an 80-foot yacht until he went to jail for mail fraud. The phone-bank entrepreneur, complete with chauffeur and bodyguard, whose employees called him the “King of Romania.” The Atlantis-obsessed psychic who accredited her “university” with her own accrediting agency. Thousands of people bought phony academic credentials from such worldwide operations, which proved difficult to shut down.

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A version of this article appeared in the September 2, 2016, issue.
Read other items in this 50 Years of Page Ones package.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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