AI tracked down nearly 80,000 ‘ghost students’ trying to enroll in California colleges

 

The fraudulent student epidemic that prompted policy change from the Department of Education after it discovered $90 million had been disbursed to ineligible students is losing ground in California.   

 

The state’s community college system, which suffered thousands of attacks from scammer-deployed “ghost” students last year, has brought in an AI fraud detection platform to track down and boot fake students from registering for classes and stealing financial aid meant for real people.  

 

AI tracked down nearly 80,000 ‘ghost students’ trying to enroll in California colleges

Does the state of CA not have a verification process for students? 

9 minutes ago, TedG said:

Does the state of CA not have a verification process for students? 

 

Nor do these it seems

 

 

1. Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota

 

•  These states have begun using the LightLeap.AI platform, originally deployed in California, to detect fraudulent applications and financial aid claims A.

 

2. New York

 

•  Governor Kathy Hochul proposed ending the state’s “Save Harmless” provision, which had allowed districts to retain funding despite enrollment drops—often inflated by ghost students B.

 

3. Oklahoma

 

•  Revised its “hold harmless” policy to a one-year lookback, reducing the window for inflated funding based on outdated enrollment figures B.

 

4. Missouri

 

•  Nearly half of school districts received funding for an estimated 44,997 ghost students, prompting calls for reform 

 

 

 

I thought DOGE was supposed to be on top of all this fraud?

This along with other contexts where dollars are freely handed out all over eastern europe, no wonder the USA is broke, 

17 minutes ago, TedG said:

Does the state of CA not have a verification process for students? 

 

These cases of fraud almost always concern community colleges, which accept nearly anyone who applies.  Community colleges were notorious for not verifying the identities of students as this could be considered "discriminatory" against minority groups.  In other cases, verification measures were suspended during  the Covid-19 years and haven't been reinstituted.

1 hour ago, Will B Good said:

I thought DOGE was supposed to be on top of all this fraud?

 

DOGE operates at the federal level, while the fraud took place at the local level. It's up to the officials of the local community colleges to verify the identities of students.

2 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

AI tracked down nearly 80,000 ‘ghost students’ trying to enroll in California colleges

 

The fraudulent student epidemic that prompted policy change from the Department of Education after it discovered $90 million had been disbursed to ineligible students is losing ground in California.   

 

The state’s community college system, which suffered thousands of attacks from scammer-deployed “ghost” students last year, has brought in an AI fraud detection platform to track down and boot fake students from registering for classes and stealing financial aid meant for real people.  

 

AI tracked down nearly 80,000 ‘ghost students’ trying to enroll in California colleges

 

And AI (Google Gemini) still thinks that Biden is the president.

 

1 hour ago, Middle Aged Grouch said:

This along with other contexts where dollars are freely handed out all over eastern europe, no wonder the USA is broke, 

 

America is broke because the average Joe buys a family home with a 2-car garage and then buys three (or more) cars.

7 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

America is broke because the average Joe buys a family home with a 2-car garage and then buys three (or more) cars.

Cars are a vast wealth killer.