Senators unveil bill to combat financial aid fraud by ‘ghost students’

Sen.Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., speaks to reporters as he returns to his office at the U.S.Capitol on Feb.10, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“Our young students work night and day to earn their spot on campus.Zero federal student aid should go towards ghost students who are stealing money from Americans.As Co-Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions task force to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in education, I am proud to introduce this bill and will not stop until we eliminate all fraud,�

“Scammers are deploying increasingly sophisticated tactics to steal money and federal financial aid from hardworking Americans.In the face of these scams, we need to do more to protect students and taxpayer dollars,” Hassan added.“This bipartisan bill will require that the federal government establish an identity fraud detection system during the student financial aid process, catching scammers on the front-end before tax dollars leave the government’s bank account.I will continue to combat the scourge of scams and ensure that higher education is accessible for all Americans.”

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GOP DISRUPTOR COUNTERS BIDEN’S STUDENT LOAN BAILOUTS WITH PLAN TO SHIFT COSTS AWAY FROM TAXPAYERS

Sen.Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., at the U.S.Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Nov.10, 2025.(Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The U.S.Department of Education recently “launched a new, real-time fraud detection capability” pertaining to the FAFSA form.The departmentnotedthat “fraud detection is built directly into the FAFSA itself, with every applicant evaluated in real-time using risk-based identity screening.”

“Applicants who display a certain level of fraud risk will now be required to present government-issued identification before accessing federal student aid funds such as Pell Grants and federal student loans,” the department said.