一个从联邦学生援助系统中攫取数百万美元的隐秘骗局，并渗透进大学校园，已成为特朗普政府打击欺诈行动的重点目标。官员将责任归咎于拜登任时期的身份验证政策，称这些政策为骗局打开了方便之门。
A hidden scheme draining millions from the federal student aid system and infiltrating college campuses has emerged as a key target of the Trump administration's fraud crackdown, with officials faulting Biden-era identity verification policies for opening the door to it.
随着秋季学期开始，一名欺诈专家正提醒学生和家长警惕各种危险信号，警告称骗子会伪造身份注册大学，以领取本应发给符合资格学生的援助。
One fraud expert is now highlighting the red flags students and parents must look out for as the fall semester begins, warning fraudsters are fabricating identities to enroll at colleges and collect aid that is meant for legitimate students.
金融犯罪预防公司Abrigo高级欺诈调查员马洛里·沃特曼向Fox News Digital表示：“骗子会特别寻找学生贷款、失业保险欺诈等存在漏洞的领域，利用这些渠道作案，因为这些领域历来管控较为宽松。”
"People, scammers specifically, look for vulnerable places like student loans and unemployment fraud to take advantage of those channels because historically they have been lax in their controls," Mallory Wortman, senior fraud investigator at financial crime prevention firm Abrigo, told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital此前报道称，教育部今年6月也表示，在要求高风险申请人在申请联邦学生援助时出示政府签发的身份证件后，该部门为纳税人节省了近2亿美元。该身份验证系统已整合至在线FAFSA申请表中，部门官员估计，本轮申请周期将可为纳税人节省超过10亿美元。
In June, the Education Department also said it saved taxpayers nearly $200 million after requiring high-risk applicants to present government-issued identification when applying for federal student aid, Fox News Digital previously reported. The identity verification system was integrated into the online FAFSA application, with department officials estimating it will save taxpayers more than $1 billion this cycle.
被盗身份证件以“开心乐园餐”的价格出售，助长美国数十亿美元的福利欺诈教育部将矛头指向前总统乔·拜登任内薄弱的防欺诈措施，指责其政府在新冠疫情期间要求提交FAFSA的学生中，只有不到1%需要验证身份。
STOLEN IDS SOLD FOR ‘HAPPY MEAL’ PRICES FUEL BILLIONS IN US BENEFIT FRAUD The department took aim at weak fraud safeguards under former President Joe Biden, accusing his administration of requiring less than 1% of students to verify their identity following their FAFSA submission during the COVID-19 pandemic era.
本届政府还将这些保障措施与新的执法行动结合起来。副总统JD·万斯近日宣布，87万多名与涉嫌疫情时期欺诈行为有关的借款人将被暂停参与未来的联邦贷款项目，并称他们最终可能面临联邦检控。
The administration has also paired those safeguards with new enforcement efforts. Vice President JD Vance recently announced that more than 870,000 borrowers tied to alleged COVID-era fraud would be suspended from future federal loan programs, saying they could ultimately face federal prosecution.
不过，据沃特曼指出，此次打击行动恰恰反映了一个简单的事实：诈骗分子总是迅速抓住任何有政府资金流入的契机来牟利。
But the crackdown reflects a simple reality, according to Wortman, who said fraudsters are quick to take advantage of any opportunity where government money is flowing.
“只要出现资金流动的契机，比如助学金诈骗，又或者像新冠疫情期间的失业救济金诈骗，他们都会借此手段骗取资金，”沃特曼说道。
"Anytime there's an opportunity where funds are flowing, like financial aid fraud, or another example would be when there's unemployment fraud during COVID, they're gonna use that as a method to get those funds," Wortman said.
沃特曼称，诈骗分子经常利用所谓的“幽灵学生”来钻教育资助项目的空子。“幽灵学生”指的是被盗用或伪造的身份信息，有时甚至是通过人工智能生成的，这类身份被用来注册入学并领取联邦学生资助金、贷款或补助金。
Wortman said fraudsters frequently use so-called "ghost students" to exploit the programs. A "ghost student" is a stolen or fake identity, sometimes created with artificial intelligence (AI), used to enroll in college and collect federal student aid funds, loans or grants.
一份极具冲击力的报告显示：在特朗普政府开展打击行动期间，全美K-12教育领域涉嫌出现2.3亿美元的诈骗行为，该行为被形容为“极其恶劣”。沃特曼将这种骗术与自己就读社区学院时的经历作了类比：当时她亲眼看到一些学生注册入学后拿到助学金“退款”，随后便立刻退学。
EXPLOSIVE REPORT FINDS $230M IN ALLEGED K-12 EDUCATION FRAUD AMID TRUMP'S CRACKDOWN: 'ESPECIALLY HIDEOUS' She compared the trick to her own time in community college, where she said she watched students enroll, walk away with a financial aid "refund," then suddenly drop out of classes.
“如今我们所看到的‘傀儡学生’骗局正是这种情况的延续，”她说道，并补充称如今的诈骗分子主要目的就是“骗取资助金而非接受教育”。随着学生们陆续返校，沃特曼指出有几个值得留意的迹象。
"That's kind of what we've seen, straw student schemes turning into today," she said, adding today's fraudsters' main objective is "attaining the aid rather than pursuing an education." As students return to campus, Wortman said there are many signs to look out for.
“这类诈骗者往往会提交多份申请，填写的信息也大同小异。他们的注册模式不合常理，在资助金发放前其账户还会出现可疑变动，”她解释道。在银行交易记录中也能发现类似的“关联与规律”：诈骗分子会借助复杂的数据泄露事件与钓鱼信息诱骗受害者泄露个人信息。
"They’re going to have multiple applications," she said. "They're going to have common information. There's gonna be some unusual enrollment patterns and then suspicious changes to their account before those funds are disbursed." Similar "connections and patterns" can also be spotted in banking records, where Wortman described how fraudsters use elaborate data breaches and phishing messages to trick victims into providing personal information.
“我们会看到大量重复出现的信息、异常的资金流动，还有多个看似毫无关联的客户却有着共同的联系特征，比如相同的IP地址；他们的账户里也会出现一些完全不合常理的资金流动情况，”沃特曼说道。
"You're going to have shared information, that unusual movement of funds and then multiple apparently unrelated customers with common either connection activity, IP addresses, and then funds flowing through the account that just don't make sense," she said.
财政部称赞其反欺诈机制成效显著：成功识别出并阻止了9900万美元本应支付给已故人员的款项。据沃特曼介绍，防范此类欺诈行为的最佳方式就是密切留意个人财务信息。“大家务必提高警惕，随时关注自己的财务信息，”她说道。
TREASURY HAILS SUCCESS OF ANTI-FRAUD PROCESS THAT FLAGGED AND PREVENTED $99 MILLION IN PAYMENTS TO DEAD PEOPLE According to Wortman, the best defense against these fraudsters starts with keeping a close eye on your personal financial information. "Just be aware and keep tabs on your personal financial information," she said.
尽管当前社会对这类欺诈行为关注度颇高，但沃特曼指出此类骗局其实早已存在；她“很高兴”如今这类行为终于得到重视并得以防范。
Despite the heightened focus on the fraud, Wortman said the scam is nothing new and that she is "glad" it is finally being recognized and prevented.
去年，教育部披露其成功拦截了超过10亿美元的虚假学生资助款项，并查出近9000万美元已被不法分子骗取。其中3000多万美元流向了已故人员，另有4000多万美元则被那些利用机器人冒充虚拟学生申请资助的公司所获取。
The size of the scam became clear last year when the Education Department revealed it blocked more than $1 billion in fraudulent student aid and identified nearly $90 million that had already been fraudulently disbursed. More than $30 million went to deceased individuals, while more than $40 million went to companies using bots disguised as fake students.
“这类欺诈行为一直都存在，我很高兴如今终于有人着手处理了，”她说道。
"This has been going on, and I'm glad that they're finally doing something about it," she said.
本文由福克斯新闻数字频道的阿什利·J·迪梅拉与约书亚·Q·纳尔逊共同采写。
Fox News Digital's Ashley J. DiMella and Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.