Is this cool?

[sanantone]

Yes, the US government makes that clear, but they would not be the ones issuing the certificate in this instance.
Also, the service makes it clear that they differentiate between legal and accredited:
"Are these degrees accredited?
PLEASE DON'T CONFUSE LEGALITY WITH ACCREDITATION

You must understand as explained in the FAQ that there is no such thing as a 'universally' accepted form of accreditation. A school may be accredited for one purpose, but unaccredited for another.

Please don't confuse "legality" with "accreditation". Accreditation is in most circumstances, a CREDIT TRANSFER issue and never a legal issue. As such, if you require specific accreditation for a specific job or a specific use  (most don't), then you should not proceed."

They are selling a fake degree (and shoddy e-books) with a legal certification from a foreign country that looks fancy. Many folk looking at the certificate might be duped into thinking it authenticates the degree instead of authenticating the signature. The country the degree comes from might not have as explicit of a disclaimer available on their webpage as the US Department of State has.

And, it can be ILLEGAL to use an unaccredited degree under state laws. Most employers do require accreditation or its equivalent. Many employers may not check, but most employers that require a degree do not want someone with a diploma mill degree. That defeats the purpose of requiring a degree. While there is no international accreditation, each country has its own process for authorizing schools to award degrees. If you are required to get your education evaluated by a credential evaluation service, your diploma mill degree will not be considered equivalent to a U.S. degree from an accredited school. 

Please do not spread this misinformation that accreditation is never a legal issue because it's not true. In some states, it is a legal issue. Examples:

Texas
http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/?objectid=E...60B3946FBB

New Jersey
http://www.nj.gov/highereducation/More_H...laws.shtml

Kentucky 
http://www.lrc.ky.gov/statutes/statute.aspx?id=18882

In some states, it can be illegal to use a degree from an institution that is not accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

https://www2.ed.gov/students/prep/college/diplomamills/diploma-mills.html

[DavidHume]

State laws vary. I wouldn't expect the distributor of fake degrees to provide an overview of all pertinent laws that apply in different jurisdictions. While Texas and several other states specify that you cannot use a degree without accreditation for job or business related purposes, others allow it if the job applicant states explicitly that the degree is not accredited. But again, pretty sure they are only concerned with the legality on their end. Their loophole is about how they can issue their fake degree with a legal document, not a loophole for the end-user. I would never suggest someone obtain such a product. And I'm not trying to spread misinformation, just trying to explain what their argument is for a 'legal loophole' claim.

[sanantone]

State laws vary. I wouldn't expect the distributor of fake degrees to provide an overview of all pertinent laws that apply in different jurisdictions. While Texas and several other states specify that you cannot use a degree without accreditation for job or business related purposes, others allow it if the job applicant states explicitly that the degree is not accredited. But again, pretty sure they are only concerned with the legality on their end. Their loophole is about how they can issue their fake degree with a legal document, not a loophole for the end-user. I would never suggest someone obtain such a product. And I'm not trying to spread misinformation, just trying to explain what their argument is for a 'legal loophole' claim.

You did use the word "never." 

That "loophole" is not even necessary. If your state doesn't have a law against using a degree from an unaccredited school or creating a fake diploma, then just print a diploma off your computer. As for that fraudulent company, they can be sued as evidenced by what happened to Belford.

[DavidHume]

The never was part of a quote from the website, not my word. Sorry if the quotation wasn't as obvious as it could have been.

[bjcheung77]

I think someone or some people here have a better "degree", an honorary degree that's cheaper even!
Universal Life Church had two or three competing offices and they merged with another recently.

I recall they were "selling" the honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree for a mere $20 or $25 bucks.
Further to that, it does allow the utility of being an authorized or ordained minister for marriages!

Anyways, Dewisant - That website you pointed to earlier, I don't see any utility or validity for getting it.
Not even worth it as a novelty item. Now, about ULC, that's a different beast on another level...

[sanantone]

I know an ordained, ULC minister performing marriages, and they're legal in my state.

[Johann]

This place (instant degrees) has been around for I dunno how many years. Been discussed on degree forums since 2002 and probably Alt-Ed-Distance well before that. I believe the the only "loophole" is this: there are quite a few jurisdictions in the world - lots of them English-speaking - where, for not very much money, just about any person can "legally" form a business, call it a University -- register it and "legally" issue "degrees" (of no standing) to whomever they wish. And they do. And how!

Two so-called "universities" this co. offered degrees from "back when" were Canterbury U. and Buxton U. At least one of these "schools" was supposed to be located in UK but degree packages were reportedly shipped from Portugal. Neither had authority to award degrees in UK and I have no idea where the schools might have had "legal" permission. IIRC, these two schools are/were on most of the U.S. "State Lists" of unaccredited/unacceptable degrees. And so it goes...

This is SOOOO old news... disappointing, but not surprising to see that people want everything right now - instant gratification. Yes, there are real shortcuts and aids aplenty in this forum. But you won't get your degree in 7 days. Help is out there, but stick to the "real" threads. Skip the fantasy.

J.

[a2jc4life]

How can it be illegal to apply for a job with an unaccredited degree (apart from claiming it is if it isn't)? I know college is not high school (duh), but if we look at high school diplomas just as an example, many private schools and even more public schools than you might think aren't accredited. That doesn't make them non-schools. An unaccredited diploma and a fake diploma aren't the same thing, either.

[sanantone]

How can it be illegal to apply for a job with an unaccredited degree (apart from claiming it is if it isn't)? I know college is not high school (duh), but if we look at high school diplomas just as an example, many private schools and even more public schools than you might think aren't accredited. That doesn't make them non-schools. An unaccredited diploma and a fake diploma aren't the same thing, either.

How can it be illegal? The state government can make it illegal by passing a law. High schools don't need to be accredited because they are overseen by the state's education board. K-12 is a different system.

[a2jc4life]

That sounds like some serious overstepping on the part of a state legislature, to determine how a company and potential employees are permitted to do business. I just don't see how a law like that could hold up.