"Their assumed identities on college applications might appear normal to the naked eye: high school graduation, extracurricular activities, addresses. But these students differ from their peers competing for spots at local community colleges across Maryland and the country in one key way — they don’t actually exist. Ghost  or "spam" students often use stolen i.d.s to  apply for financial aid.

A spokesperson for the University System of Maryland said they are not aware of this happening at their institutions. There are examples of community colleges in Maryland taking efforts to combat such frauds. Source: Baltimore Sun