Web site shut down for selling fake IU diplomas

A Web site selling counterfeit IU law degrees has been shut down following a judge's approval of an injunction, Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said Friday.\nThe site, www.noveltyworksdegrees.com, was sued by the Attorney General's office for allegedly committing a deceptive consumer practice, Carter said. For $59.95 his team purchased a degree that resembled a diploma from the IU School of Law.\n"I think, cosmetically, a lot of people would have mistaken it for a real IU diploma," Carter said, but if someone was familiar with what genuine diplomas looked like, he said they were not difficult to separate. \nThe site's owner, Allen R. Kleiman, has no prior criminal record and has not yet faced any charges for running the business. But the investigation is still ongoing, and it will be up to the prosecutor whether the state willh press charges. \nEven beyond selling counterfeit IU degrees, the site advertised producing authentic-looking degrees from any university and 45 different majors. \nThere is not yet any information on exactly how many diplomas were sold, but Carter said there was initial indication that as many as 300 degrees were purchased before the site was shut down.\n"This was dangerous to the community if people were using these degrees to pretend they were doctors," Carter said.\nOfficials were tipped off about the site when an anonymous caller complained about it. Saying fighting Internet fraud has become the office's busiest areas, Carter warned that people had to be extremely careful -- now more than ever -- of Internet scams. \nCarter would not speculate on what a possible punishment might be if Kleiman eventually faces prosecution and is convicted.