Last year and this year, there have been around 60 reports of false education certificates sold via social media. But the number of unreported cases is high, according to the police.
The way in which fake education certificates are sold and provided is constantly evolving, according to a review by SVT News.
Under a false name, we got in touch with a salesman who describes how he himself got a job with a certificate purchased via Snapchat:
"I thought, I'm going to buy it, so I took a social educator and I've worked on it and they've increased my salary and everything," the seller says in an audio recording.
Protected professional title
It is the employer who has the ultimate responsibility and if an employment is made on false grounds, it can have serious consequences, not least when it comes to professional groups such as assistant nurses, according to the union.
"Vocational education and training ensures a level of competence that also ensures patient safety. If you do not have the adequate training for the profession, patient safety will also suffer, says Ann Georgsson, federal ombudsman at the Municipal Workers' Union.
The seller that SVT Nyheter has contacted states that the certificate is issued with a watermark from a now closed school, to complicate any checks. This is just one example of how fraudsters adapt to current conditions, according to the police.
Large number of unrecorded cases
– This is organized sales, you make a living from this type of business so it will continue, you need to continue to have income, says Charlotta Mauritzon, at the police's National Fraud Center.
She also believes that there is a large number of unreported cases, since many companies and businesses that have been subjected to fraud do not report it.
"Even the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise's own survey shows that 50-60 percent of companies do not report crimes they have been subjected to. And these are crimes that you don't even notice you've been subjected to," says Charlotta Mauritzon.