The Department reiterates that any application that is rejected under this new identify confirmation process has a high risk of being fraudulent. Although a small number of legitimate students are likely to be flagged for in-person verification by institutions, the Department’s expectation is that FAAs will not need to take any action on the significant majority of rejected applications.
That said, in cases where a legitimate student is impacted, starting on May 3, 2026, schools will be able to assist applicants in resolving their application’s rejected status. To complete the process, FAAs must follow the guidelines for information to be verified and acceptable documentation for resolving identity verification (similar to the V4 Verification Tracking Group), as published in the Nov. 26, 2025 Federal Register notice.
If an FAA successfully confirms the identity of a student whose…
Investment fraud targets the human desire for financial growth by promising high returns with “low to no risk.”
- Ponzi Schemes: Named after Charles Ponzi, these schemes pay “returns” to earlier investors using the capital brought in by newer investors. There is no actual underlying business; the system collapses when new recruitment slows down.
- Pyramid Schemes: Similar to Ponzi schemes, but participants are usually required to sell a product or service. The primary “profit” comes from the recruitment fees of new members rather than actual product sales.
- Pump and Dump: Fraudsters spread false, positive rumors about a cheap stock (the “pump”) to drive up the price. Once the price peaks, they sell their shares (the “dump”), leaving other investors with worthless stock.