‘Ghost Students’ Defrauded Utah Taxpayers of Almost $1 Million

According to a recent report from the Utah legislative auditor general, the state’s higher education system lost over $830,000 in recent years to “ghost students” who apply to receive financial aid and run off with the money without pursuing a degree.

“Institutions reported disbursing $834k to suspected fraudulent applicants and spending over 15,000 hours working...