Lewin, T. (2011) As Online Courses Grow, So Does Financial Aid Fraud New York Times, October 13
I know I shouldn’t do this, but you have to respect the ingenuity of scam artists. This article lists a series of frauds and scams enrolling ‘ghost’ online learners to defraud the US government student loans service.
I’m not sure why this is thought to be easier or more worth reporting than enrolling in a face-to-face course then disappearing – can someone explain this to me? Do we have any instances of ghost campus-based students ripping off the US Federal loan program – or do newspapers just focus on online learners?
Anyway, I did enjoy reading this – but then I’m not a college admissions officer or a VP admin. (Now you know why).
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
