With degrees and credentials being an ever-important element of the professional world it should come as no surprise that many public officials are feeling the need to bolster their resume with a degree.

However, for some civil servants the reality and danger that unaccredited criminal justice online degree programs and “degree mills” can present has become all too real.

Recently the number of reported cases of law-enforcement officers using unaccredited or “fake” degrees on their resume has been on the rise. Though this is no scam, these officers attended programs to open doors and advance their careers in a way they thought would help them and their families. Instead they may soon be losing their jobs for misrepresenting their credentials.

Between 2000 and 2006 three law-enforcement officers in the state of Florida, were suspended, lost certification or were forced to resign due to faulty degrees. While it may seem like a low figure, this only accounts for those that were reported and for those three officers, their mistake has cost them their entire career.

Perhaps even more alarming is that in the last three years nearly 3,000 additional “false statement” cases were brought up against law-enforcement officers. False college degrees and illegitimate credentials would be classified in this category.

As more and more tempting online colleges spring up, it can be hard to decipher which are legitimate institutions and which are trying to sell you on false dreams. Many online colleges promise degrees that are quick and easy. They may say that their coursework takes only a fraction of the time that a traditional college does. These are direct indicators that the institution in question is a fake.

However it may not always be that simple. In recent years the number of online college institutions has been growing dramatically and this poses a unique challenge to consumers interested in attending college online. How do you determine the legitimate courses from the fake ones? Utilizing resources provided by the Department of Education (DOE) on accredited college listings or a consumer service such as Education Connection are ideal methods of weeding out false programs.

Risking career suicide or legal repercussions is never worth taking a shortcut to a degree. For those students interested in online college simply going through the appropriate channels and doing thorough research will guarantee that you land in a legitimate and well-suited online college program, such as a forensic science degree program. Don’t risk your future on uncertainty. Get information from a source you can trust.