EXCLUSIVE – The Department of Education (ED) claims it has blocked nearly $200 million from falling into the hands of fraudsters since launching a strict new identity-verification mandate on April 27.The nationwide fraud prevention effort requires high-risk applicants to present government-issued identification when applying for federal student aid."Since we launched it, we've prevented nearly $200 million from falling into the hands of fraudsters," James Bergeron, Deputy Under Secretary of Education and Acting Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer, told Fox News Digital."Our new fraud detection tool is at the FAFSA [Free Application for Federal Student Aid] form level.
It stops fraud at the start of the process before the money goes out the door, which is a big priority for the task force."The nationwide fraud prevention effort under Linda McMahon requires high-risk applicants to present government-issued identification when applying for federal student aid.(Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)FRAUDSTERS ACCUSED OF RIPPING OFF AMERICA’S GRANDPARENTS FACE NEW CRACKDOWN UNDER GOP BILLThe department integrated the real-time, risk-based identity screening directly into the online FAFSA application system this spring."Effective immediately, fraud detection is built directly into the FAFSA itself, with every applicant evaluated in real-time using risk-based identity screening," the department previously announced.
"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."Department officials estimate the tool will save taxpayers over $1 billion during the current FAFSA cycle.According to the department, the strict security posture is a necessary correction to the COVID-19 pandemic era, when the Biden-Harris administration rolled back key verification safeguards.The department claims those previous policies div...