California colleges are being inundated with GHOST students who have a very sinister purpose

Artificial Intelligence (AI) bots are infiltrating California college classes in a financial aid fraud scheme, costing the state and federal government millions of dollars. 

Professors across Golden State community colleges have noticed an uptick in non-participative students, specifically in virtual classes, since the pandemic. 

Alarmingly, a significant portion of these passive enrollees have not actually been human, but AI-generated 'ghost students.' 

These bots have been creeping their way into online courses and taking spots away from real students to scam money from financial aid and scholarship programs. 

Since community colleges have high acceptance rates, these academic institutions have been easy targets. 

Over the last 12 months, state colleges reportedly handed off $10 million in federal funds and $3 million in states funds to fake students, according to CalMatters. 

Data collected from the start of 2025 indicates schools have already thrown away $3 million in federal aid and about $700,000 in state funds. 

This is a jarring increase from the period between September 2021 and December 2023, when fake students reportedly drew in more than $5 million in federal money and $1.5 million in state funds.

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