In September 2016, we issued a Management Information Report that informed the Department of our concerns regarding how the FSA ID and the Personal Authentication Service were being misused by commercial third parties to take over borrower accounts. The OIG identified this problem through various investigations and developed recommendations to address the misuse. Our report recommended changes to strengthen the banner language for the FSA ID and Personal Authentication Service to enhance the OIG's ability to successfully investigate and prosecute third parties who improperly create, access, or make changes to FSA IDs and accounts. The report also recommended that FSA increase its proactive monitoring of FSA IDs and Personal Authentication Service audit logs and ensure that it proactively monitors the types of abuses identified.
Report File
Date Issued
Submitting OIG
Department of Education OIG
Other Participating OIGs
Department of Education OIG
Agencies Reviewed/Investigated
Department of Education
Components
Federal Student Aid
Report Number
X21Q0001
Report Description
Report Type
Other
Number of Recommendations
6
Questioned Costs
$0
Funds for Better Use
$0
Additional Details
