Do your homework: Check out credentials of online programs before enrolling - Rochelle Stewart, Boston Herald

Sometimes things really are too good to be true. Earning a degree is hard work, so when online universities advertise earning a degree in less time than a traditional college, beware, says Paula Flemming, vice president of communications and marketing for the Better Business Bureau Inc. You may be biting the bait of a digital diploma mill. “Many fraudulent diploma mills are capitalizing on the growth in popularity of distance learning opportunities and are using the freedom of the Internet to lure students into their ‘programs,’ � Flemming said. Diploma mills or accrediting mills are organizations and agencies that are actually functioning, but not legitimate, according to Rachel Scheer, an information specialist for the Distance Education and Training Council.

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