Group busted for printing fake diplomas
Serbia's organized crime prosecutor and the SBPOK arrested four people accused of producing more than 120 forged diplomas from an illegal print shop in Belgrade.
- On the order of the organized crime prosecutor, police and the SBPOK arrested four people on June 10, 2026.
- Since October 2025 the suspects allegedly produced more than 120 forged diplomas, certificates and transcripts, including master's degrees.
- Searches in Belgrade and Novi Pazar turned up forged documents, official stamps, phones, a full print shop and 44,550 euros.
- The unlawful gain is estimated at roughly 20 million dinars.
Officers from Serbia’s Interior Ministry, the Criminal Police Directorate and the Service for Combating Organized Crime arrested four people suspected of producing and selling fake school credentials on an organized basis. The arrests, ordered by the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime, were carried out on June 10 after a months-long investigation.
The man named as the ringleader is identified only as B. D., born in 1974. Alongside him, the case also targets a senior official at a secondary school in Novi Pazar and three other members of the group. All four face charges of criminal association and document forgery.
According to investigators, the group produced more than 120 forged diplomas, certificates and transcripts from secondary schools, colleges and universities from October 2025 onward. Master’s degrees were among the forged papers. The documents were allegedly sold to buyers who were meant to pass them off as genuine in official dealings.
What did police find in the searches?
The searches covered several addresses in Belgrade and Novi Pazar. In Belgrade, officers uncovered a complete underground print shop fitted out for forging documents. Dozens of already printed diplomas and certificates were found on site, along with blank covers ready to be filled in.
Beyond the printing gear itself, investigators seized the official stamps of school institutions, mobile phones and other items believed to have been used in the operation. A large volume of paperwork was also collected, expected to reveal the scale of the business and the circle of buyers.
Together with the documents and equipment, police found and confiscated 44,550 euros, money linked to the sale of the forgeries. The total unlawful gain the group is believed to have made is put at around 20 million dinars.
How dangerous are fake school credentials?
A forged diploma is not just a worthless sheet of paper. It lets a person with no real education apply for a job, a post or a title they are not qualified to hold. The fallout can land on third parties, especially when bogus qualifications surface in health care, education or public administration.
The alleged involvement of a senior school official, if confirmed during proceedings, shows that such schemes can lean on people inside the education system itself. That erodes trust in documents that are supposed to vouch for genuine knowledge and training.
After questioning, the suspects face charges of criminal association and document forgery. All are presumed innocent until the case concludes, while prosecutors continue to establish the full number of forged papers issued and the identities of the buyers.
How much could mandatory checks on diploma authenticity during hiring shrink the room for scams like this?
