What to Do When a Fraudulent Application is Suspected
You work hard to attend college. Scammers work even harder to steal your money and identity. Protect your most valuable asset.
- Report Financial Aid Fraud and Identity Theft: If you suspect your student information has been stolen, act quickly to report it.
- How to Protect Your Identity: Learn how to protect yourself when applying for financial aid.
- Beware of Student Loan Debt Relief Companies: Don’t get scammed by false promises.
- Report identity theft: Report if your identity is being misused in any way (not just related to financial aid).
Steps to Take When a Fraudulent Admissions or Financial Aid Application is Suspected
It is crucial that colleges have in place local protocols to both:
- Review and process admissions and financial aid applications.
- Confirm student identity before releasing any financial aid.
Verify suspicious student identity
If an admissions or financial aid application is suspected to be fraudulent, the college is responsible for trying to verify the student’s identity.
- Contact the student to schedule an in-person or virtual meeting.
- The student should be asked to submit additional documents to verify their identity.
This documentation may include, but is not limited to:
- Driver’s License or State-Issued Identification Card
- Official transcripts from any other institution of higher education the student has previously attended
- Proof of residency at address listed on the student’s records
- The college must immediately apply the “SXI” service indicator in ctcLink, indicating the application/student is being investigated. This service indicator will be displayed for all colleges via a nightly job process run by SBCTC Support.
If student does not comply
If no response is obtained, or insufficient information is provided, the applicant/student must be reported to SBCTC in the ticketing system, as outlined in SBCTC Reporting Requirements.
