CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Colleges and universities are constantly working to combat cyber-attacks and scams. One concerning trend is called “ghost students,” and schools here in Iowa are seeing them pop up in increasing numbers. A “Ghost Student” is a college applicant using a fake identity to try to get financial aid. They’re filing for that aid without any intent of going to the college and attending classes, as a form of fraud.

Iowa Western Community College reports catching 109 ghost students posing as students so they could steal federal grant money. In a report to the Board this week, Iowa Western President Dan Kinney says they caught the ghost students before they could cash out the money and disappear. Kinney says ghost students are a national problem, and often schools are left to repay the stolen grant money.

Matt Falduto is the Senior Director of Financial Aid at Kirkwood. He’s seen “ghost students” trying to slip through the cracks several times over his 20 years in the department. In November of 2023, Kirkwood identified approximately 100 financial aid applicants for suspected fraud. Falduto says thanks to the hard work of staff and their verification process, none of those applicants saw any money.