NTU dropout’s elaborate deception unveiled: forged degree lands woman in legal hot water

Fonseka Wannerichega Hema Ranjini, a 44-year-old Nanyang Technological University (NTU) dropout, has been convicted of forging a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the prestigious university. Her web of deception spanned over 16 years, during which she successfully cheated at least five reputable companies into hiring her.

Fonseka’s elaborate scheme unfolded in 2005 when she meticulously crafted a counterfeit NTU certificate using a computer program, claiming to have graduated in June 2004 with a third-class honors degree in engineering. Armed with this falsified qualification, she successfully secured positions at prominent companies, including The Walt Disney Company, Marshall Cavendish, and Scholastic Education International.

The court heard that Fonseka’s highest educational attainment was GCE A levels. She enrolled at NTU in 1998 to pursue engineering but dropped out in August 2004, citing academic challenges and financial difficulties.

Over the years, Fonseka managed to infiltrate the job market using the fake certificate, landing roles such as Assistant Managing Editor at Marshall Cavendish and later transitioning to an Acquisition Associate. She then joined Scholastic Education International, where she climbed the ranks from Assistant Managing Editor to Managing Editor before being laid off in 2017 due to unsatisfactory performance. During her tenure at Scholastic, she was paid a total of S$83,800.

In 2021, Fonseka took her deceptive tactics to The Walt Disney Company in Southeast Asia, securing a position as a Learning Editor in the publishing department with a monthly salary of S$6,800 and additional allowances, bringing her total remuneration to S$7,884 per month.

However, her fraudulent activities came to light when Walt Disney, as part of its standard verification process, sent Fonseka’s certificate to be validated by a third-party vendor. NTU confirmed that she did not receive a degree, prompting the company’s human resources department to question her.

Fonseka, in a bid to cover her tracks, claimed that she withdrew from NTU in her final year and obtained a certificate to prove her enrollment. The deception unraveled when an NTU employee lodged a police report in October 2021, leading to Fonseka’s resignation from Walt Disney in December 2021.

The disgraced former employee also managed to secure positions at Cengage Learning Asia and Oxygen Studio Designs in 2018, further amplifying the extent of her fraudulent activities.

Fonseka now faces serious legal consequences, with her sentencing scheduled for Dec. 6. If convicted for cheating, she could be jailed for up to three years and fined. For committing forgery, the potential sentence is up to seven years of imprisonment, in addition to a fine.

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