The Education Ministry has asked the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to track down online sellers of forged educational certificates but admits the illicit business has continued endlessly in the country.
Chaipreuk Sereerak, permanent secretary for education, said on Friday that his ministry sent the request after reports that forged degree certificates were sold on a Facebook page with a Thai name which means "cheap certificates for all educational levels".
The page offered copycat certificates from the junior secondary education level up to master's degrees at prices ranging between 2,500 and 7,000 baht.
The page, now closed, advertised its products looked like real ones issued by educational institutions and were meant only for job-seekers who needed degree certificates for their applications or those who would like to change grades in their certificates.
Clients were required to send copies of their house registration and ID cards and were then told forged degree certificates would be delivered to them by express mail service.
The page also encouraged people to share or "Like" it for a lucky-draw prize -- a free bachelor's degree certificate worth 5,000 baht. It was closed after being heavily criticised in social media.
Mr Chaipreuk said the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society would try to track down the wrongdoer in this case. He added while the Education Ministry had taken action against people offering such illicit services, they were hard to suppress.
"Such [Facebook] pages selling fake certificates are opened and then closed endlessly. It's fraud. I would like to warn students not to use the services because they would waste their money and face criminal action for using fake documents," the permanent secretary for education said.
Those who use such papers would be liable to a jail term of up to five years and/or a fine of up to 10,000 baht, he said.
The Education Ministry also shares its database on students' information and those who have used fake certificates are flagged, Mr Chaipreuk warned.