Muhammad Al-Jasir Okaz/Saudi Gazette BURAIDAH — Al-Qassim police have said they confiscated a large number of stamps and tools used in the production of fake master's and PhD degrees and arrested an expatriate forger. A tip-off from a citizen led to the arrest of the expatriate, who, in an ironic twist, held a PhD and worked at a private university. Police said in a statement all those who aided and abetted the expatriate and citizens who bought fake degrees from the expatriate would be referred to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution. While investigations are still under way, police believe many citizens used the fake degrees to acquire jobs and promotions they did not deserve. So far, 33 people are under investigation and police believe as many as 350 may be involved. The tip-off came from a citizen from Buraidah who came to know that the unidentified expatriate charged SR5,000 per degree. The citizen said he made the decision to turn the man in after he was worried about the negative effects fake degree holders would have on society. He helped police catch the man red-handed when he acted as a decoy. “He pretended to be an Arab expatriate who did not have a college degree and needed a fake one to apply for a lucrative job as a physics teacher. Police officers arrested the expatriate as he was handing the citizen the fake degree,” said a police spokesman. Upon arrest, the expatriate told police that his daughter, who is allegedly an expert at using certain computer software used to produce the degrees, acted as his right hand.
