You don't have to be in college to become a victim. In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze visits Sunshine Coffee in Lake Elmo, MN, to break down the "ghost student scam"—a sophisticated identity theft operation targeting anyone with a Social Security number, including children. 

Scammers are using stolen identities to enroll in online college programs, drain financial aid funds, and vanish—leaving real people to discover fraudulent student loans and destroyed credit years later. This isn't a distant threat. It's happening now, and your name (or your child's) could already be enrolled somewhere without your knowledge. 

• Key Topics Covered:  
• How ghost student scams work and why they're so hard to detect 
• Why children's identities are prime targets for financial aid fraud 
• The single most effective defense: freezing your credit (and your kids') 
• How to check if your identity has already been compromised 
• Practical steps to protect financial aid and education accounts 

This isn't about fear—it's about action. Credit freezes work. Monitoring works. And awareness is the first line of defense against identity thieves who count on you doing nothing. 

☕ Featured Coffee Shop: Sunshine Coffee, Lake Elmo, MN 

🍯 Jen's Drink: The Miel (espresso with honey and spice) 

Action Step: Freeze your credit at all four bureaus—Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis. Do it for your kids too. Subscribe for weekly cybersecurity insights from coffee shops across the country, and share this with parents, educators, and anyone who needs to hear it. 

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