How to check if a certificate is real
Paper certificates are easy to copy. Here's how to check one properly, and how a signed record turns weeks into seconds.
A certificate is a promise that someone did something. The trouble is that paper promises are easy to copy, and a convincing fake now takes seconds to make. If you hire people, admit students or accept qualifications, here is how to check what you're being shown.
1. Look before you trust
Check the basics first. Is the name spelled the same way as on the person's ID? Do the dates make sense next to their other history? Is the institution's name exactly right, and does the course actually exist there?
Odd fonts, blurry stamps and spelling mistakes are worth a second look. So is a certificate that looks newer than it should, or a grade that doesn't match the rest of what you've been told. But a good fake can look perfect, so this step alone is never enough. Treat it as a reason to ask, not as an answer.
2. Ask the people who issued it
The only real answer comes from the source. Contact the school, university or awarding body directly, using contact details you find yourself on their official website, not the ones printed on the certificate. A fake certificate can come with a fake phone number.
Ask them to confirm three things: the name, the qualification and the date it was awarded. Many institutions have a registry or verification office for exactly this. Be ready to wait, and be ready to follow up. A letter or an email to a busy office can take a while to come back.
3. Get the person's permission
Ask the person to agree, in writing, to you checking. It's respectful, and it means everyone knows where they stand. Anyone with a real certificate will usually say yes straight away. Hesitation is worth noting, though it isn't proof of anything on its own.
Ask only for what you need. If the job needs a degree, check the degree. You don't need someone's whole life story to answer one question.
4. Keep a record of what you checked
Write down who you contacted, when, and what they said. Keep the reply if it came in writing. If a question comes up later, you'll be glad you did, and so will the person you checked.
The faster way: a signed record
All of this takes time because the proof lives on paper. With Vaurse, the school or employer signs the fact straight onto the person's record. When someone shares it with you, you see who signed it and when, and you can check it in a second. Nobody can edit a signed fact, not the person, not the signer, and not us. If something was wrong, the signer withdraws it and signs a correction, and both stay visible.
Vaurse doesn't try to spot fakes. It goes to the source instead. That's the same thing you do in step 2, done once, by the people who know.
If someone shows you a Voscard, you can check it on our Check a Voscard page. It's free and needs no account. Type the 12 digits on the front and you'll get one of three answers: real and active, with the holder's name as the issuer has it; real but frozen; or not found. A check never shows a photo, a phone number or an address.
A card check tells you the card is real. For a degree or a job, the holder shares it from their app, and you see only what they chose.
If you're an embassy, an employer or a university outside Vaurse, we're also building a way to request a record. You'd ask for the signed facts you need and say why. The person accepts or declines in the Vaurse app, and you pay only if they accept. It covers facts, not opinions: never a reason for leaving, performance, salary, or criminal, credit or medical information. It's on our roadmap as planned.
