Eight Charged With Fraud in Tuition Refund Scam at Temple University

Eight people have been charged in a scam to bilk Philadelphia's Temple University out of $76,000 after allegedly posing as part-time students to take advantage of a prompt tuition refund policy. Prosecutors say the alleged fraud proved so successful at Temple, the suspects allegedly began to use same ruse at the University of Maryland and the DeVry Institute of Technology in Decatur, Ga.

X

Thank you for sharing!

Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.
Eight people have been charged in a scam to bilk Philadelphia’s Temple University out of $76,000 after allegedly posing as part-time students to take advantage of a prompt tuition refund policy. Prosecutors say the alleged fraud proved so successful at Temple, the suspects allegedly began to use same ruse at the University of Maryland and the DeVry Institute of Technology in Decatur, Ga. “This was a deliberate scheme to take advantage of a student-friendly university,” U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan said Friday in announcing the charges. Prosecutors alleged the suspects enrolled in classes at Temple using phony names and Social Security numbers, and deliberately overpaid tuition using bad checks. Temple officials then refunded the overpayments before realizing the checks were drawing on empty bank accounts. The suspects cashed the refunds, and in most cases, withdrew from school before taking any classes, prosecutors said. Three of the suspects surrendered and a fourth was in federal custody on an unrelated drug charge in Wilmington, Del. Four others were being sought, prosecutors said. The alleged fraud was uncovered when Temple officials became suspicious about a new round of applications and tuition checks for a particular continuing-education class, according to Temple’s head of security, Carl Bittenbender. The university has since changed its refund policies, Bittenbender said. Formerly, students who were overcharged or who overpaid tuition were sent refunds within seven business days. Now they have to wait until the university verifies the original check has cleared, Bittenbender said. Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.

Benefits of a Digital Membership:

  • Free access to 3 articles* every 30 days
  • Access to the entire ALM network of websites
  • Unlimited access to the ALM suite of newsletters
  • Build custom alerts on any search topic of your choosing
  • Search by a wide range of topics

*May exclude premium content
Already have an account?

Trending Stories

 

Featured Product

Global Briefing

A weekly, curated selection of our international content from around the globe, across the business of law, in-house, regulatory, technology and more, with expert insights from our senior editors.

Learn More

More from ALM

 

ALM Legal Publication Newsletters

Sign Up Today and Never Miss Another Story.

As part of your digital membership, you can sign up for an unlimited number of a wide range of complimentary newsletters. Visit your My Account page to make your selections. Get the timely legal news and critical analysis you cannot afford to miss. Tailored just for you. In your inbox. Every day.

Privacy Policy

About Us / Contact Us / Site Map / Advertise With Us/ Customer Service / Terms of Service/ FAQ / Privacy Policy

Publications

Law Topics

Rankings

More

Law.com

Copyright © 2020 ALM Media Properties, LLC. All Rights Reserved.