With recent BBC media coverage highlighting fraudulent behaviour by training providers delivering security qualifications, it's a good time to consider some of the steps that we can take to protect our organisations and the public from this type of activity.
Listen to the full report here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001r1kc
Develop interview questions
Training requirements are clearly outlined in the qualification specification found on the awarding bodies website. With this resource you will be able to develop a set of interview questions that could reveal an applicant has attended "sham training" (e.g. those mentioned between 8:35 and 9:15 minutes in the BBC episode).
Don't share full certificates
We all like sharing good news, but sharing certificates online (e.g. social media) risks the document being downloaded, edited and used fraudulently. If you doubt the authenticity of a certificate being presented to you, most awarding bodies provide a "Cert Check" or "Verify" service (e.g. https://www.highfieldqualifications.com/checkcert). If you see anyone posting their full certificate online, you can alert them to the fact that it could be used by fraudulent parties and advise it should be censored.
Report today, prevent tomorrow
If you suspect that a certificate may be fraudulent, or that an individual has not received a satisfactory level of training despite having been awarded a certificate, report it to the relevant awarding body or regulatory organisation and supply any evidence that you may have.
Share knowledge, share power
Knowledge is power. Speaking with a cross section of trusted peers within the industry is a sure way to find out the good, the bad and the ugly about a service provider. From here you are best placed to make your own informed decision.
No industry can escape its share of fraudulent behaviour, however the more that we act upon our suspicions of poor or non-existent training, the less likely it is to continue.