Scientist uses obituary to confess to fake PhD

Here's another reason why HR professionals need to be vigilant while recruiting: fake resumes.

Imagine the shock of Val Patterson's colleagues and bosses when he confessed via his own obituary - which he penned himself prior his death - that he hadn't even earned enough credits to graduate from the University of Utah, let alone get a PhD, ABC News reported.

"I really am NOT a PhD. What happened was that the day I went to pay off my college student loan at the U of U, the girl working there put my receipt into the wrong stack, and two weeks later, a PhD diploma came in the mail," he wrote.

"I didn't even graduate, I only had about 3 years of college credit. In fact, I never did even learn what the letters "PhD" even stood for.

"For all the electronic engineers I have worked with, I'm sorry, but you have to admit my designs always worked very well, and were well engineered, and I always made you laugh at work."

Patterson said he lived by the philosophy of "anything for a laugh" and tried to have the last one with his obituary which he wrote himself before he died on July 10 from throat cancer.

He also confessed to a theft in the letter and took the opportunity to apologise to his wife.

Watch the full video here.

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