Fraudulent Bachelor’s and Master’s degree certificates from various public and private universities are being openly sold through advertisements on Facebook. Several Facebook pages are promoting offers to supply undergraduate (Honors) and postgraduate (Master’s) certificates for a fee from four specific universities: Brac University, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), Gopalganj Science and Technology University, and Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University.

An investigation by The Dissent revealed that these fraudulent groups create fake websites in the name of the respective universities and generate bogus student IDs to convince customers that the certificates are genuine. They then abscond with the money after supplying the counterfeit documents.

How the Pages Were Discovered

The Dissent began its investigation based on a Facebook advertisement with the text, "Need a university certificate?" The ad promised: "Get digitally verified Honors and Master’s level certificates right from home! Applicable and acceptable for job applications, promotions, or foreign visa–immigration processes."

Subsequently, The Dissent identified a total of 10 such Facebook pages through relevant keyword searches. The pages are: ক্যারিয়ার সমাধান (Career Solution), EduHub Agency, Education Level Up, সার্টিফিকেট লাগবে (Need Certificate), Honours/Masters Consultancy, ক্যারিয়ার সমাধান (Career Solution), সার্টিফিকেট সার্ভিস (Certificate Service), University Point, GradeFixer - The System Insider and Certificeta Zone.

Facebook Continues to Run the Advertisements

Beyond simple posts, these pages frequently pay to run ads on Facebook promoting the sale of certificates. The ক্যারিয়ার সমাধান (Career Solution) page has been running an advertisement since April 15. The EduHub Agency has also been running an ad since April 15. Education Level Up has been promoting a similar advertisement since April 4. Honours/Masters Consultancy has been running an ad since April 14. The ক্যারিয়ার সমাধান (Career Solution) page has three active advertisements, which began running on April 15, April 16, and April 18. The সার্টিফিকেট সার্ভিস (Certificate Service) page is running two ads, launched on April 16 and April 20. Additionally, the University Point page has run an ad since April 15, and Certificeta Zone has been running one since April 11.

Assuming a minimum daily ad spend of $1 (approximately 110 Taka), calculations through April 21 show a total minimum expenditure of approximately $17 (1,870 Taka) for the three running advertisements by the two pages named Career Solution (running since April 15, 16, and 18). The potential expenditure may be higher.

The EduHub Agency page spent a minimum of $7, or 770 Taka, on its ad running since April 15. The Education Level Up page, with an ad running since April 4, accrued a minimum cost of $18, or 1,980 Taka. Honours/Masters Consultancy, running an ad since April 14, spent a minimum of $8, or 880 Taka.

Certificate Service page since April 16 and 20 cost a minimum of $8, or 880 Taka. University Point’s ad, running since April 15, incurred a minimum of $7, or 770 Taka, and Certificeta Zone’s ad, running since April 11, cost a minimum of $11, or 1,210 Taka.

Collectively, these pages have spent a total minimum of $76, or approximately 8,360 Taka, on advertising through April 21.

According to Meta's Ad Policy, advertisements must not promote products, services, or offers that attempt to deceive people or gain their money or personal information through false information. The policy also states that advertisers deemed suspicious or promoting high-risk fraudulent content may be subject to additional verification.

However, the advertising of these fake certificates appears to violate Meta's Ad Policy.

ULAB Certificate Priced at Tk 30,000, Negotiated to Tk 20,000

The Dissent began messaging the inboxes of these pages posing as a prospective buyer. The Career Solution page stated that they could provide certificates from Brac University and Gopalganj Science and Technology University. When asked the cost of an Honors certificate in English from Brac University, they quoted Tk 30,000. EduHub Agency claimed it could supply certificates from the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) and Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University. Honours/Masters Consultancy made the same claim. After negotiation with EduHub Agency, they offered the Honors certificate for English from ULAB for a final price of Tk 20,000.

The Same Syndicate Operates Multiple Pages

In communicating with the pages, The Dissent gathered that ক্যারিয়ার সমাধান (Career Solution), EduHub Agency, Honours/Masters Consultancy, and ক্যারিয়ার সমাধান (Career Solution) are essentially run by the same syndicate. When first contacted, all four pages sent identical auto-generated replies, such as: "Do you want to confirm the order? If you are 100% sure to order, I will give you a WhatsApp number, and if you submit your documents to that WhatsApp number, your work will be done, Insha’Allah." Additionally, there were similarities in their work process, terms, university names offered, and pricing. Furthermore, the WhatsApp number provided for communication with all four pages was the same.

Half Payment Due After Online Verification

They claimed no advance payment was required. First, they would create online verification and student portal access, and after verification, 50 percent of the payment would be due on the same day. The remaining 50 percent could be paid via Cash on Delivery upon receiving the hard copy via courier.

They further claimed that the certificates would be provided along with transcripts, a Medium of Instruction (MOI), and two recommendation letters, all supposedly furnished with notary, university attestation, and Ministry of Education attestation.

They asserted that the certificates they provide ensure online verification and are usable for jobs, foreign higher education, and visa applications.

Documents Must Be Sent via WhatsApp

To confirm an order, they requested that necessary documents be submitted via WhatsApp and provided a WhatsApp number: +447403 658996.

Upon contacting the provided WhatsApp number, they requested photos of any one certificate or transcript from SSC/HSC/Diploma, photos of both sides of the NID/Passport, a passport-sized photo of the applicant, and a photo of the signature. Accordingly, The Dissent sent them a fake HSC certificate photo, an AI-generated passport-sized photo, and a fake NID card photo, which they accepted.

They then stated that the online verification on the ULAB student portal would be ready between 10 A.M. and 11 A.M. the following day, as per the specified time. If satisfied with the online verification and willing to proceed, the candidate was told to confirm by paying half the money by 2 P.M. the same day.

Subsequently, they provided a username, password, student ID, and result publication date and instructed verification through a website named ULAB Portal (www.ulabportal.online). They claimed this was the ULAB Student Portal. Logging in with the provided information showed a student profile created according to the name supplied by The Dissent.

Following the purported online verification, they provided a bKash number for the transfer of the conditional half-payment: 01326847527. The Truecaller app identified the number as ‘Ripon Bhai Tangail’.

'Ulabportal.online' is a Fake Student Portal

Upon entering the 'ULAB Student Portal' provided by them, it displayed various information corresponding to the name supplied by The Dissent, including CGPA, course names, grades obtained in each course, and the result publication date.

However, a check of the portal revealed that it is not affiliated with ULAB (University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh). Further verification showed that the portal was created by cloning the design of ULAB’s official website.

Additionally, a domain information check showed that the portal was registered on February 14, 2026, and last updated on February 19 of the same year. The domain is set to expire on February 14, 2027.

Furthermore, attempting to log in to ULAB's official website with the student ID and password they provided resulted in an 'Invalid' message.

When asked about the verification process, Faruk Hossain, Deputy Controller of Examinations at ULAB, told The Dissent: "Verification here is done in two ways. Documents come to the Exam Office for verification, or an email with hard copies, meaning scanned copies, comes to the Registrar's Office. We then verify them through the email from the Control Office. So, verification happens in two ways at ULAB: first, as I said, scanned copies come to the Exam Office or the Registrar's Office email, and the Exam Control Office verifies them via that email. Second, for hard copies brought directly to the office by visitors, we verify them with a stamp on the hard copy. These are the only two ways we perform verification."

Many Victims of Fraud

Many people have fallen victim to online fraud while attempting to acquire such certificates. One victim, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Dissent that the scammers first gain trust through smooth talk and then take the money and cease communication. The victim claimed to have been defrauded of approximately Tk 40,000 and subsequently couldn't find the perpetrators.

Another individual stated: "Each of them has more than 20 IDs. If you message them, they will ask for an advance, and when you eventually pay out of frustration, they will immediately block you. Some others take a large amount of money, hack a website, edit it to add your registration number, but this is only temporary. The real result remains on the result sheet of the Controller of Examinations’ office, which can never be altered. You will never get a job with these papers."

Another person who attempted to buy a certificate, also speaking anonymously, said: "They can show a temporary online record, or correct a name online. But as soon as you pay, they disappear. This is because they will only proceed up to the online stage without an advance; payment must be made immediately after the online verification is complete. If it were real, they would ask for payment after 2 days, 10 days, or after providing all documents and security. That’s why it feels real."

He added: "I offered to pay by check—that they could withdraw the money the day I received all the papers. But no, the money has to be paid within 3 hours of the online verification. I spoke with several people, and none of them are willing to take the money after providing everything. They demand 50% payment immediately after the online record is shown. I have seen many cases where they vanish online after getting the money. That's why I said I would pay after all my work was complete, but so far, none of them have agreed."