'I have built my life on lies and fraud': Indian student's Reddit post who faked father’s death for full scholarship in US, deported

Aryan Anand, a 19-year-old Indian student, was deported from the United States after it was revealed that he deceived his way into obtaining a full scholarship to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. The unfolding of Anand's elaborate scheme was triggered by an anonymous Reddit confession, as Lehigh Valley News reported.

In his Reddit post titled, 'I have built my life and career on lies and fraud - Long', Anand talked about how he hadn't prepared well for his Class 12 examinations and was trying to get into US universities and even the IVY league colleges. However, the cost of studying in these institutes would cost him crores. 

Here is a series of events that unfolded while Anand carried out the fraudulent activities:

1. High School and College Applications:
   - The 10th board exams were cancelled, and he lacked the seriousness to study.
   - Entered 11th grade aspiring for JEE but struggled and barely passed with 49%.
   - In 12th, enrolled in a dummy school but continued with minimal study, focused on movies and sleep.
   - Discovered US colleges offering full financial aid despite lacking perfect academic and extracurricular records.
   - Fabricated academic transcripts and achievements to apply to US colleges using a fake email domain and fraudulent documents.
   - Applied to multiple colleges, received mixed results including rejections and some acceptances with partial financial aid.

2. Fraudulent Activities for obtaining full financial aid:
   - Edited and falsified documents, including a fake death certificate for financial aid purposes.
   - Manipulated 12th-grade exam results to meet admission requirements.

3. Admission to US College:
   - Despite doubts and suspicions, he was accepted into a reputed US college with comprehensive financial aid.

He wrote, " I planned another very wrong and fraud thing. I created a completely fake death certificate of my father, but I did and sent that to my college, saying my dad got cancer and is dead, so my mother would receive his pension and that would be almost half of his actual income, so I won't be able to pay for these 5k also"

4. Life in the US:

   - Arrived in the US with full financial support, including travel expenses and tuition.
   - Initially struggled with academic motivation but devised cheating strategies during exams to maintain GPA requirements.
   - Took advantage of breaks to return to India and engaged in parties and leisure activities.

5. Job and Income:
   - Created a false resume and obtained a remote internship in marketing, earning $1500 per month.
   - Used income for personal expenses rather than saving or investing.

6. Morality and Concerns:
   - Acknowledged the moral implications of actions but justified behaviour based on successful outcomes thus far.
   - Expressed concern over potential consequences but continued with fraudulent activities.

Now, despite refraining from directly naming himself or the university, a vigilant Reddit moderator connected the dots and identified Anand as a student at Lehigh University.

Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Michael Weinert highlighted, "The defendant only had one other university that he followed, which was Lehigh University. So, the moderator actually reached out to Lehigh to give them a heads up," shedding light on the crucial role played by the moderator in uncovering the deception.

Subsequently, Anand was apprehended two months ago and pleaded guilty to forgery on June 12, 2024. As a consequence, his admission to Lehigh University was cancelled.

Although Anand could have faced a prison term of 10 to 20 years for his fraudulent actions, a plea agreement with the university resulted in him avoiding the jail term.

Instead, the 19-year-old was expelled from the institution and deported to India, marking the end of his deceitful ploy to secure an education through a series of lies.