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A settlement has been proposed in a class action lawsuit alleging Belford High School, Belford University and other co-conspirators engaged in a scam to dupe people into paying to receive high school diplomas from schools that don’t really exist.
If you obtained a Belford High School diploma at any time between Jan. 1, 2003 and Jan. 23, 2012, you may be entitled to payment from the Belford scam class action settlement.
The Belford High School class action lawsuit was filed on Nov. 5, 2009 and alleged that the Belford defendants perpetrated an internet scam in order to defraud prospective students out of their money. The plaintiffs claim Belford High School offers a “valid” and “accredited” high school diploma, but that in reality, the diplomas are not valid because the school is fake.
The plaintiffs allege that Belford claimed to be accredited by the International Accreditation Agency for Online Universities and the Universal Council for Online Education Accreditation, but that these entities are also fake.
In August 2012, Belford High School, Belford University and other co-conspirators were ordered to pay $22.7 million to more than 30,000 victims of their scam. The court found that Belford High School and Belford University are fake schools.
Belford reportedly admitted that it never had any administrators or employees, that the accrediting agencies are fake, and that the names of faculty and administrators posted on the diplomas were also fake.
After the judgment was entered, the plaintiffs’ attorneys attempted to find money from the defendants in order to pay the victims of the Belford scam. They reportedly located money in accounts who were held in the names of Pitko Inc., Tullow Inc., Mivvel Inc., Lateral Designs Inc., IT Device Pro Inc. and Payment Profs Inc., and they believed this money actually belonged to Belford High School. The attorneys subsequently sought to recover the money from these defendants.
The defendants disagree that the plaintiffs would have won at trial but agreed to settle the diploma scam class action lawsuit to avoid the burden and expense of ongoing litigation.
According to the Belford class action settlement website, the Belford defendants have been ordered to stop using the scam websites associated with their deception, including www.BelfordHighSchool.com, www.BelfordHighSchool.org, www.BelfordUniversity.org and www.BelfordUniversity.com. These websites have reportedly been taken down so that no further consumers are subjected to the fraud.
Who’s Eligible
Class Members of the diploma scam settlement include U.S. residents who obtained a Belford High School diploma at any time from Jan. 1, 2003 to Jan. 23, 2012.
Potential Award
Varies, depending on the total number of valid claims that are filed and how much money Class Members spent in connection with the Belford High School diploma.
The maximum payment that a Class Member may receive is the amount they paid in connection with their Belford High School diploma. However, the Claims Administrator will determine individual payments based on the number of total claims filed and the amount of money the Class Members spent.
Proof of Purchase
Class Members must submit a copy of their Belford High School diploma, or evidence explaining why they are unable to submit a copy of the diploma.
Claim Form Deadline
6/12/2017
Case Name
Lauber, et al. v. Belford High School, et al., Case No. 4:09-cv-14345, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Final Hearing
7/10/2017
Settlement Website
Claims Administrator
Belford Class Action
PO Box 6878
Broomfield, CO 80021
(844) 320-4304
BelfordClassAction@Googasian.com
Class Counsel
Thomas Howlett
Dean Googasian
THE GOOGASIAN FIRM PC
Defense Counsel
Todd Holleman
MILLER CANFIELD
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175 thoughts onBelford High School Diploma Scam Class Action Settlement
I was never inform I got my high school diploma in 2007or 2008. I was trying to get my transcripts and ran across this. This is so bad wow so what do I do now?
I was not informed either. I received mine in 2006. Did you get any response about this yet
IM ALSO A VICTIM OF THIS, I DONT REMBER WHEN BUT I HAVE MY DIPLOMAAND TRANSCRIPT. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY WASNT I NOTIFIED OF THIS SCAM OR SETTLEMENT I WILL LIKE MORE INFORMATION ON THIS HAS ANYONE GOT UPDATES ON THIS?
I am also a victim of fraud from this company
I believe I’m a victim of Belford High School. In 2007 I took a online GED test that was supposed to be an equivalent to a GED. Fast-forward to 2022. I’m trying to apply for a particular position which requires proof of a diploma. Now when I try to look up the high school to get these transcripts which I believe to be legitimate. The only thing that shows online is this class action lawsuit.
I’ve never heard of this an purchase mine in 2010
OMG! I wasn’t Notified of this scam nor find out the diploma I received was fake until now. this is shame to find out after 14years of my Ife its fake… please inform with the next action of plan.
I wasn’t notified either
Neither was I. Recieved in 2008
My son got his diploma from Belford High School in 9/16/2006; He is trying to pursue advancement in his job with MDCPS system and finds out that his diploma is fake. He was never notified. Please inform of what steps to take on this matter.
I wasn’t notified of this scam or settlement. I received my diploma in 2010 but now 12 years later, it’s not real? Who can give me more explanation on this? OMG!!! It’s so embarrassing
I just found out that is wrong somebody needs to get back to us
I’m shocked to see this! I am a victim of this diploma scam also but I was never notified. Now my great job is on the line because of this. So what do I do now? This is definitely not fair, embarrassing and very inconvenient!
I’ve never technically a payments didn’t know there was a law suit i am a victim of this crime also tried to go in the military with it they told me it was fake soooo embarrassing
I was just notified that my diploma that I received back in 2009 is not accredited. I lost out on a job because of this. So I stated doing some research on it and just found out about this lawsuit. I should of been notified of this when it started. Now I’ve lost out on a great Job opportunity and money.