International Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Technology (IJEBT) doi.org/10.59021/ijebt.v1i1.13 82 NON-FUNGIBLE TOKENS: ITS POTENTIAL ROLE IN COMBATTING CERTIFICATE FRAUDULENCE IN MALAYSIAN EDUCATION Joe Onn, Lim 1 , Diyana, Kamarudin 2 1, 2 Faculty of Education and Liberal Studies, City University Malaysia, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. * Corresponding author: 201910050001@student-city.edu.my ABSTRACT Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) are blockchain-based tokens representing a particular asset, such as a piece of media or digital data. A digital or physical asset can have an NFT as an irrevocable certificate of ownership and authenticity (Wang et al., 2021). Digital forms of certifications can consider using NFT and blockchain technology (Franceschet, 2021). Technological advancement enabled people to create fraud certificates, such as university degrees, that the buyers do not possess. This is unethical and alarming. The current credentials from certificates are difficult to verify as legitimate, which encourages educational fraud. Blockchain technology with NFTs empowers a solution to certificate fraudulence. This study scrutinizes the demand of a handful of Malaysians towards buying fraud certificates and the ideas behind those supplying such certificates. Potential use cases and challenges on how NFTs can combat certificate fraudulence and enhance education systems are studied by gathering information from past literature and conducting interviews with people involved in certification fraud. The ethnography approach focuses on the occurrence of fake certificates in society that consists of using certificates to seek employment or income permits. Convenience sampling is applied to access respondents' perspectives, who are also aware of NFT technology. The lack of coordination in Malaysia between multiple parties, such as certificate issuers, companies hiring employees and government authorities, allows certification fraud to occur. An increase in NFT public penetration and blockchain technology can counter this issue. Keywords: NFT, blockchain, certification, fraudulence, verification INTRODUCTION The current system of education tends to be geared towards providing certification to people who have completed certain programs to validate skills and qualifications possessed by individuals. A certificate is an official document awarded to participants who complete a thorough training programme on a particular subject and successfully demonstrate that they have met the course's learning objectives (Rops, 2007). Certificates are official documents awarded to participants who complete a thorough training program on a particular subject and successfully demonstrate that they have met the course's learning objectives (Rops, 2007). However, this system has certain flaws, as certificate fraudulence is rampant. Certificates can be bought illegally but easily without needing individuals to undergo the programs, which is unethical. Advancements in technology such as Adobe Photoshop, Canva and high- quality inkjet printers can allow people with digital skills to make fraud certificates easily. Fraud poses a serious risk to society, especially involving the forgery of credentials and certifications. This phenomenon has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry; it is a crime that challenges our understanding of competence, merit, fair competition, diligence, and the present and future (Mourasillo, 2021). According to Mourasillo (2021), many illicit businesses and websites provide incredibly low prices on fake certifications in paper and digital forms. Searching for "Buy Fake Certificate" on Google alone produces more than 25 million results, and some vendors even brag about producing their illegal Article History Received : 14/12/2022 Revised : 28/01/2023 Revised : 03/04/2023 Accepted : 29/06/2023