Within California’s system of 116 community colleges, 31% of applications last year – or 1.2 million – were found to be likely fraudulent, according to data from the office of the chancellor for the college system.
What makes the system vulnerable is that anyone who applies is admitted and more students not having to attend class as a result of the increase in remote learning since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The scammers, with the help of stolen identities, bots and artificial intelligence join classes and stay enrolled until they receive their financial aid checks, according to The Los Angeles Times.
“The biggest target for fraud rings tends to be community colleges and lower-cost institutions,” Jason Williams, an official with the Education Department’s Office of Inspector General, said on a recent agency podcast. “This is because their tuition costs are lower than other schools, which increases the student aid award balance for the fraudulent student.”
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Author: Joe Weber
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