Feds take action after CSN targeted in $7.4 million hack
CSN lost $7.4 million in what's called a 'Ghost Student' scam.
'We were attacked, much like a lot of colleges across the nation have been attacked. Hence the feds taking action,' Dr. Juan Avalos, CSN's vice president of student affairs, said.
In a press release issued on Friday, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said rampant fraud is 'ripping off taxpayers' and taking financial aid away from students. As a result, she was implementing an extra layer of security to verify FAFSA applications.
'This is more about scammers than it is about people, and people not doing their jobs. I want to make that part clear,' Dr. Avalos said.
From October to December 2023, the community college was getting a large number of federal financial aid applications, according to CSN.
But on the first day of the spring semester in 2024, CSN noticed a problem — empty classrooms.
'It became a level of crisis during spring of 2024, when our instructors were reporting full rosters but no one was showing up,' Avalos said.
The fraud scheme led to CSN paying back the U.S. Department of Education for loans the college awarded to fake students.
Avalos said CSN was vulnerable since it's a large school and has fewer requirements for students to enroll.
The Department of Education announced on Friday a new layer of security it was adding to FAFSA applications, requiring applicants to show in person or on a live video conference, an unexpired, valid, government-issued photo identification.
Avalos applauded the move.
'By the time they hit the colleges, like College of Southern Nevada, we will have a greater sense of confidence that the FAFSAs we're getting belong to real students,' Avalos said.
In a statement regarding the new verification, McMahon said, 'When rampant fraud is taking aid away from eligible students, disrupting the operations of colleges and ripping off taxpayers, we have a responsibility to act.'
But what about the money CSN lost? Who is on the hook for that?
'So about half of it is stuff we're not going to get. The other is stuff that the college has to pay. But we're going to pay it from institutional funds. None of it is going to be kicked to the student,' Avalos said.
He added that CSN will absorb about $4.3 million in losses. The college will be implementing more security upgrades this summer, including adding a third-party verification system on applications, which will vet future applicants' information.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
18-07-2025
- Newsweek
Husband Denied Entry Into US to Get Body of His Dead Wife
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A man in Mexico who reportedly had his visa denied is unable to travel to the United States to retrieve his wife's body after she died in a car crash in Nevada. Gloria Vega Nava, 41, died from injuries sustained in a car crash over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, according to the Clark County Coroner's Office. Her husband, Evaristo Vega, who lives in Tijuana, Mexico, told Las Vegas news station KLAS that his application for an emergency visa through the U.S. embassy in Tijuana was denied. Newsweek reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment. The Context The crash occurred on Saturday, July 5, near Moapa, Nevada. Vega said he was informed that his wife and another occupant of the vehicle were seriously injured. He said she had been working at a warehouse in Las Vegas. Immigration policies under the Trump administration have become significantly stricter, with a notable increase in visa denials and travel restrictions. Many applicants, particularly those with prior immigration violations or bans, faced heightened scrutiny and fewer exceptions for humanitarian or emergency cases. What To Know "She was in a bad condition. She suffered a very bad accident and very bad injury on the brain," Vega told KLAS. Nava died at a local hospital three days after the crash, according to the Clark County Coroner's Office. Officials said the cause and manner of death remain under investigation. Vega is unable to cross the U.S. border as he said that he self-deported to Mexico in 2017 and has been waiting for a 10-year reentry ban to expire before beginning the process of applying to reenter the country. He was two years away from eligibility. It is unclear why Vega self-deported. "I was trying to do anything. Anything to go see her, to be with my kids, you know? I wasn't trying to do anything illegal," Vega told KLAS. What People Are Saying Evaristo Vega told Las Vegas news station KLAS of his wife: "She was everything to us. She was everything to us. She basically became the head of the family, you know?" File photo of the seal of the State Department at the Washington Passport Agency in Washington, D.C. File photo of the seal of the State Department at the Washington Passport Agency in Washington, D.C. Alex Brandon/AP What Happens Next Vega's next step is to arrange for his wife's body to be released from the Clark County Coroner's Office for burial. He may appeal the visa denial with additional legal support. Advocacy groups or elected officials could intervene on Vega's behalf, potentially expediting a temporary entry. If no exception is granted, arrangements for his wife's burial may need to proceed without his presence in the U.S.
The Hill
17-07-2025
- The Hill
Man says US denied entry visa to get his wife's body after Nevada crash
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A husband is both grieving and frustrated after he says the United States denied him entry to the country to settle his wife's affairs following her death in Nevada. Gloria Vega Nava, 41, died of injuries she suffered in a car crash over the Fourth of July holiday, according to the Clark County Coroner's Office. Her husband, Evaristo Vega, lives in Tijuana, Mexico. 'She was everything to us. She was everything to us. She basically became the head of the family, you know?' Vega said. The crash happened on Saturday, July 5, near Moapa. Vega learned that his wife and another person in the vehicle were seriously hurt. He said she worked at a warehouse in Las Vegas. 'She was in a bad condition. She suffered a very bad accident and very bad injury on the brain,' he said. The Clark County Coroner's Office confirmed to Nexstar's KLAS that Vega Nava died three days after the crash at a local hospital. Details on the manner and cause of death were pending. Evaristo Vega's next step is to get his wife's body out of the Clark County Coroner's Office for a burial. The problem is he can't cross the border. Vega self-deported from the United States in 2017 to Mexico and was waiting for a 10-year ban to be over before he could start the process of applying to enter. He was only two years away. 'I was trying to do anything. Anything to go see her, to be with my kids, you know? I wasn't trying to do anything illegal,' he said. Vega said his application for an emergency visa through the U.S. Embassy in Tijuana was denied. For now, he says all he can do is pray the embassy changes its mind as he plans to reapply.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Yahoo
Man shot multiple times at northwest Las Vegas apartment complex
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A man was found shot at a northwest Las Vegas apartment complex on Monday night, according to police. Las Vegas Metro police responded to the scene of the shooting in the 2100 block of Tenaya Way near Lake Mead Boulevard. Shortly before 11 p.m. Las Vegas Metro homicide detectives were called in to investigate the shooting as a homicide. When officers arrived, they found the man suffering multiple gunshot wounds. The man was later taken to a nearby hospital. Metro police said the investigation is ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
