A print shop owner in Hanoi has been detained after his shop was found to have produced around 20 fake university graduation certificates for VND13 million each.

Police found that customers contacted Bui Duc Thuan via the Internet, paying him VND13 million (US$727) for a university degree certificate and VND12 million for a college or high school certificate, local newswire Vnexpress said Thursday.

Before the print shop was busted this week, police had come across several accounts selling the degrees and certificates on the Internet.

An investigation was launched and Thuan was caught last Friday on Hang Dao Street holding six fake university graduation certificates including those for Hanoi National Economics University, Hanoi University of Polytechnics and Ho Chi Minh City National Economics University, together with notarized copies of academic records.

The 25-year-old told the police that the customers would send him their photos and personal information first and they would set up a meeting, usually for the day after, to hand over the certificates.

Thuan confessed he knows the signatures and stamps of several ministries, departments and ward People’s Committees in Hanoi so he could provide other fake documents demanded by customers, police said.

Hanoi police seized more than 200 stamps with names of colleges and universities in Hanoi, HCMC and other provinces. They have confiscated all the machines used in the business that opened in September.

Thuan said he bought the stamps for VND100 million from a stranger online.

VietNamNet/Thanh Nien