��ҹ̽��

Student Aid Fraud Awareness and Prevention

The University of ��ҹ̽�� is committed to protecting the integrity of our financial aid systems and ensuring that resources reach the students who truly need them. Like many institutions across the country, we are seeing a rise in financial aid fraud—particularly involving “ghost students” who use fake or stolen identities to access federal aid. We are taking decisive action to safeguard our community.

What’s Happening Nationally

Universities nationwide are facing increasingly sophisticated financial aid fraud schemes, often orchestrated by organized rings. These fraudsters exploit weaknesses in identity verification and leverage technology to bypass detection.

---

University of ��ҹ̽�� Response

We are actively working to detect and prevent fraud through a multi-layered strategy:

• Partnering with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General (OIG)
• Launching an Enterprise Response Plan for fraud detection and mitigation
• Coordinating efforts through a cross-campus Student Fraud Workgroup
• Training faculty and staff to identify fraud indicators
• Enhancing internal monitoring and reporting systems
• Strengthening cybersecurity to block bot-driven applications and identity theft

---

Federal Action

The U.S. Department of Education indicated that it will be rolling out a two-phase identity validation process:

• Summer 2025: Flagged FAFSA applicants must verify identity via government-issued ID
• Fall 2025: A permanent, centralized identity verification system will be launched

For more information, visit the . 

---

For Faculty and Staff: Warning Signs 

Fraudulent activity is rarely obvious. It often involves a combination of behaviors and inconsistencies that, when seen together, suggest something isn’t right. While any one student might exhibit a few of these traits innocently, multiple red flags can signal deeper issues.

Help us identify suspicious activity by watching for these patterns:

 

---

For Students: How to Protect Yourself

You play a vital role in keeping our community safe. Here’s how:

• Share personal information sparingly, and only with trusted and secure websites
• Treat digital content, like emails, texts, voicemails, and website content, with increased scrutiny, especially if the materials or resources they provide or advertise seem too good to be true or appear designed to create a sense of urgency
• Monitor your credit for new or unusual activity
• Report identity theft or unusual activity immediately