A school must refer to the Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) any credible information indicating that an applicant for federal student aid may have engaged in fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with his or her application.
Common misconduct includes false claims of independent student status, false claims of citizenship, use of false identities, forgery of signatures of certifications, and false statements of income. Remember that fraud is the intent to deceive as opposed to a mistake. If you suspect such intent on the part of a student, report it to the OIG by phoning 1-800-MISUSED.
Schools must also refer to the OIG any third-party servicer who may have engaged in fraud, breach of fiduciary responsibility, or other illegal conduct involving the FSA Programs.
It is always appropriate for a financial aid administrator to consult with a school’s legal counsel prior to referring suspected cases of fraud or misconduct to an agency outside of the school.
Some content on this page is saved in PDF format. To view these files, download Adobe Acrobat Reader free. If you are having trouble reading a document, request an accessible copy of the PDF or Word Document.
