This probably will not come as a surprise to many of you, but it is now possible to get fake doctors excuses on the internet. A quick web search turned up at least seven sites that offer fake doctor's notes for employees and students in the United States. Some of these websites offer a whole lot more.

While some appear to be simply someone with some graphic arts skills lookingto make a quick buck, others are somewhat more sinister. Also, all claim that the forms are merely "novelty" items that should be used for "entertainment". The slick marketing makes it clear that the documents are designed and intended to allow the purchaser to take time off from work, avoid a test or other school project, or avoid some other obligation.

This is a summary of the sites and the "services" they offer:

www.thefakedoctorsnote.com
Provides a fake doctors note for $10.

www.phoneyexcuses.com
Provides doctors notes, jury duty and funeral leave documentation for $14.95 each.

www.bestfakedoctornotes.com
For $14.97 you get a packet of 25 fake doctors notes, including several different specialists, e.g., E.R., dentist, podiatrist, chiropractor, psychologist/psychiatrist, cardiologist, gynecologist, etc. Also in the packet are forms for funeral leave and jury duty as well as a return to work form with "plenty of room for comments and restrictions."

www.excusenotes.com
Bare bones site that offers no other information unless you start the ordering process.

www.printdoctorexcuses.com
For $9.99 you get a packet of 23 excuses from various medical specialties.

www.alibinetwork.com
This one goes well beyond the fake doctors note, although they offer that too. For a membership fee they will help you hide any illicit activities. Specifically, if you wish to conduct an extra-marital affair, they will help you make hotel reservations, purchase gifts and provide you with an alibi; all in the name of protecting your privacy.

www.noveltyexcuses.com
Offers a packet of medical excuses similar to some of the other sites. Also offers fake auto insurance cards and documentation, fake physicals and fake pay stubs. So, if you cannot afford car insurance but do not want to get caught driving without documentation, you can get the document, without having the insurance. Or if you want to rent a swanky apartment but cannot really afford the rent, fill out a fake pay stub and give it to the landlord. Of course the opposite is also true, some nefarious person might well show up at his/her child support hearing with a stack of fake pay stubs showing far less than his/her actual income in order to avoid or lower his/her support obligation.

The best part is that these forms are downloads, that is, for one low price, the purchaser can use them again and again. With a little creativity on the part of the employee a whole careers worth of absences can be documented with just one packet of forms. Happily, the cost is small and you can add $15-$20 to your H.R. budget to purchase packets of forms in order to spot the fakes when they come across your desk.