– after army recruitment uncovers scam
Concerned about recent reports suggesting the circulation of fake certificates locally, the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) intends to investigate to ensure the integrity of its documentation.
The army last week handed over four cadet officers to the police after they tendered forged CXC Secondary Education Certificates to gain entry to the course. The army said the sophisticated level of the forged certificates, which could go undetected by the unsuspecting, suggests an organised venture is in operation. The army detected the forgeries during its usual background check of applicants, which includes authenticity tests of their documents.
Some of the certificates, which Stabroek News has seen, feature different formats and fonts than those used by CXC, but could bypass cursory checks. The documents seen were copies but an army officer explained that they looked exactly like authentic certificates.
However, the local CXC division confirmed the documents to be forgeries that used registration numbers which did not exist in the specific years identified. Additionally, many of them included incorrect profile information for several subject areas.
An army source also revealed that the date of birth on some of the documents was also inauthentic. The source said while the army has come across fake documents in the past, including a small number of fake CXC certificates, it has not seen such a large amount for a long time.
The grades on each certificate were mostly excellent. In one instance, one of the new recruits had six grade ones and two grade twos, while another had five grade ones and four grade twos.
The army’s investigations revealed that the four paid sums to various individuals ranging from $20,000 to $25,000 for the forged certificates.
The army official said fake ACCA certificates have also come before it in the past. There has not been any issued with University of Guyana (UG) certification, but the army has vowed to continue to scrutinise every document coming from any professional institution.
Speaking with Stabroek News yesterday, Public Relations Officer attached to CXC headquarters in Barbados Cleveland Sam said the recent reports have been brought to the unit’s attention. He said the intention now is to collaborate with the authorities here to ascertain exactly where the breaches have occurred and upgrade certificates accordingly.
He noted that this was a continuous process as the body tries it utmost to keep up with technology. He acknowledged that people would try everything to beat the system. He was not sure whether reports of forged certificates have emanated from other Caribbean countries where the exams are conducted.
However, Sam urged that if employers had any doubts they should always seek verification from the Ministry of Education or the CXC office. He pointed out that because of this issue, some employers have asked for persons to supply them with official transcripts from CXC. He added that several queries have reached CXC headquarters form the United States Army to assure authenticity of certificates from Caribbean applicants.
While he could not account for specific cases within the region, Sam said there have been specific cases of fake certificates being submitted to the US Army.
He said the certificates have specific security features which CXC personnel would spot immediately and diagnose whether they have been tampered with. “If there is a case indeed that this is a money-making enterprise, we would want to see the breaches to inform future upgrades,” he said.
Meanwhile, Local CXC registrar, Superintendent of Examinations Juliet Persico told Stabroek News yesterday that the ministry has also noted the forgeries with concern. She said that from time to time many employers approach the division to verify CXC certificates. She opined that someone who seems to be highly “IT proficient” was being recruited to tamper with documents and even manufacture some.
However Persico pointed out that there are several features including codes and specific numbers. “We don’t know who is doing it but only verification could rule out whether it is authentic or not,” she explained. She said it was a service which the division offers and one which the commercial banks, embassies, the police force and army and many other entities have made use of.
Persico said another option was for employers to approach CXC headquarters for a certifying statement which costs BB$20. “So my advice is to let prospective employees apply for the certifying statement, so there is no middle person involved,” she said.
