A community college professor in Minnesota thought he had a hit class on his hands. The moment registration opened, every seat filled within two minutes. Only two of the enrolled students turned out to be real. Everyone else was a bot.
“𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘴.” one guest on the segment said, laying out how the scheme now has a name: 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. Fraud rings use AI bots and stolen identities to enroll in real classes, collect federal financial aid, and vanish before anyone notices the seat was never filled by a human being.
“𝘞𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦.” “𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴.”
The current Education Department has a different posture. Secretary 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐌𝐜𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐧 has partnered with Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force, and FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson says the results are already showing: $𝟏𝟓𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 in fraudulent loans blocked in just the past couple of months, on top of more than $1 billion in fraud the department caught in 2025 alone (U.S. Department of Education).
California is ground zero. The state’s own community college system admits nearly a third of financial-aid applications — 𝟑𝟏.𝟒 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 in the most recent count — were fraudulent (California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office). Congress is finally responding: the 𝘕𝘰 𝘈𝘪𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘈𝘤𝘵 cleared the House Education Committee this year on a bipartisan 30-3 vote.
𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.
A community college professor in Minnesota thought he had a hit class on his hands. The moment registration opened, every seat filled within two minutes. Only two of the enrolled students turned out to be real. Everyone else was a bot.
“𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘴.” one guest on the segment said, laying out how the scheme now has a name: 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. Fraud rings use AI bots and stolen identities to enroll in real classes, collect federal financial aid, and vanish before anyone notices the seat was never filled by a human being.
“𝘞𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦.” “𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴.”
The current Education Department has a different posture. Secretary 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐌𝐜𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐧 has partnered with Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force, and FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson says the results are already showing: $𝟏𝟓𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 in fraudulent loans blocked in just the past couple of months, on top of more than $1 billion in fraud the department caught in 2025 alone (U.S. Department of Education).
California is ground zero. The state’s own community college system admits nearly a third of financial-aid applications — 𝟑𝟏.𝟒 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 in the most recent count — were fraudulent (California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office). Congress is finally responding: the 𝘕𝘰 𝘈𝘪𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘈𝘤𝘵 cleared the House Education Committee this year on a bipartisan 30-3 vote.
𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.
https://x.com/MichaelARothman/status/2094390082480538026/video/1
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M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) on X
𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐓 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐒 $𝟏𝟓𝟎 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓-𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐔𝐃—𝐁𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐓 𝐑𝐔𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒
A community college professor in Minnesota tho…
August 31, 2026 9
