Strengthening Trust Through Smarter Fraud Prevention for Transcripts

By Melissa Loble, Chief Academic Officer, Instructure

Do you have SSO enabled for transcript requests?

At Parchment by Instructure, our mission has always been to make the process of sending and receiving credentials simple, secure, and trusted. Every transcript represents a student’s hard work and academic journey.

Recently, we’ve seen a notable increase in fake higher education enrollment. Scammers are using fraudulent credentials to apply for admission and financial aid. Unfortunately, this trend has impacted credential request systems, including ours. These aren’t system breaches, but rather sophisticated attempts by malicious actors using stolen personal information. This data is often too easily accessed through public or dark web sources.

Just as a stolen credit card might be used for unauthorized purchases, fraudsters are attempting to request legitimate transcripts using real student data. In some cases, these credentials are being used to apply for admission or financial aid at other institutions under false identities.

While this activity isn’t unique to any one provider, we’re committed to being proactive in helping our community of schools and learners minimize risk and strengthen their verification processes.

Empowering Schools with Built-In Protections

Parchment already offers several built-in and configurable tools that help institutions collect and verify the necessary information while aligning with modern SaaS and EdTech security practices. Designed around principles of Zero-Trust, multi-factor authentication, and compliance with frameworks such as FERPA and GDPR, these controls enable schools to make informed, secure decisions about whether to fulfill a credential request. Each option can be tailored to an institution’s security needs and workflow preferences. Some of these include:

• Single Sign-On (SSO) Integration:
  Schools can require that only authenticated users can request transcripts. This is one of the most effective ways to ensure requests come directly from current students.

• Enhanced Verification Options:
  Institutions can require additional verification details, such as the last four digits of a student’s Social Security number or student ID, before a request can be processed. This creates an extra layer of protection that’s easy to enable.

• Identity Uploads:
  Institutions may request a photo ID upload as part of the verification process. While we recognize that technology can sometimes spoof identity images, this step still serves as a valuable deterrent against casual fraud attempts.

• Manual Review Settings:
  For schools seeking additional oversight, Parchment allows flagging certain transactions for manual review before a transcript is released.

• Consider Adding a Surcharge:
  Some customers have found that adding a surcharge reduces the likelihood of fraudulent transactions.

• Blacklisted Domains:
  To prevent unauthorized transcript requests, we blacklist the domains of known bad actors. No action is required by the institution.

Looking Ahead: Strengthening Identity Assurance

We’re also exploring ways to make identity verification even more robust through partnerships and integrations with trusted identity providers. Our goal is to strike the right balance between convenience for legitimate users and strong protection against misuse.

Fraud prevention is not a one-time fix; it’s an ongoing collaboration between technology providers and the institutions we serve. As these threats evolve, so will our solutions — always with an emphasis on transparency, trust, and student protection.

Partnering for a Safer Credential Ecosystem

We encourage all of our customers to review their current requestor detail settings and reach out to their Parchment representative for guidance on best practices. Together, we can ensure that every transcript and every learner behind it is protected by design.

Instructure believes in the crucial role that credentialing plays in preparing individuals for their next chapter, whether that step involves pursuing further education or seeking a new job. By connecting the evidence of learning with opportunities, we can create a brighter future for everyone.

If you suspect fraud or have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your customer experience representative.

There’s always more to learn.