Free online tools, fake emails: How an international student defrauded Lehigh University into a full ride

Aryan Anand may have gotten away with a crime had he not revealed it in an 18-paragraph post to a Reddit community with 52,000 members.

That post set off a series of events that led the 19-year-old to be removed from Lehigh University and arrested on fraud charges. The scheme, which came to light in February, was not made public until late last month , after Anand’s guilty plea that included an agreement for him to be deported back to India.

But court records and archived Reddit posts reviewed by The Morning Call provide a more detailed look at how Anand faked applications to Lehigh University and a well-paid internship at a New York insurance firm.

How he did it

Anand’s scheme began to unravel Feb. 23, after he posted in a Reddit channel for technology and engineering students.

The post under the username “u/TransportationOk4728” begins with the statement of the story as “very long but worth it.” It was taken down soon after, but saved in a different Reddit channel dedicated to Lehigh University.

In his post, Anand admitted to creating a fake email, buying a website domain of his school similar to principal@schoolname.com . Every one of his academic achievements was fake, he said. He had some legitimate achievements but claimed any college could call his school and possibly find out of the other false files. Anand said he had ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence program, write his college essay.

As for his academic transcripts, Anand said he altered the files using Adobe Photoshop. He then applied to “almost every single US college which promised to meet the needs of every admitted student,” his post continued.

An investigation into Anand’s tax and income statements showed they were altered on “iLovePDF,” a free, online PDF editing software, according to court records.

Anand was rejected from some Ivy League universities but was later accepted to Lehigh University, which had a 29.2% acceptance rate for the Class of 2027.

His scheme didn’t end with his acceptance, however. Anand said in his Reddit post that he sent the college a falsified death certificate of his father after he wanted the college to give him more financial aid. It got Anand a full-ride scholarship. The death certificate also was altered on the iLovePDF webpage, according to data examined by investigators.

“I just wanted freedom at any cost, and if I could go to college without even spending a penny of my parents’ money, only then I could get that,” read his Reddit post, titled “I have built my life and career on LIES and FRAUD.”

“So I came here to the US in August 2023 without spending a penny,” the post continued. The college even paid for Anand’s flight.

And he didn’t stop there. Anand admitted on Reddit to putting together a fake resume and editing his transcript to look like a third-year marketing student in order to land a paid internship.

He eventually “got a marketing intern position at a small insurance firm based in New York,” after applying to over 100 companies, his post said — the position paid $1,500 a month. It is unknown whether the company, whose name was not disclosed, pressed charges against Anand.

“I don’t think he was there for very long, when he was actually receiving the money from the small marketing firm,” prosecutor Michael Weinert said. The district attorney’s office did not focus its investigation into the internship.

“I just spend it on getting drinks, getting some new electronics every month and stuff like that,” Anand said of his earnings from the job. “I know I should be investing and stuff, but I just don’t like to do anything in which there is my brain involved unless it’s fraud.”

How the scheme fell apart

Anand’s boasting was his undoing. A moderator of the subreddit threat quickly took note of the post. According to The Indian Express , the moderator tracked Anand’s anonymous account, seeing that he only followed the main Reddit channel for Lehigh University’s current and prospective students. Anand had also posted a photograph of the university. The moderator then reported his account.

Reddit “behind the scenes” posts reveal that the moderator’s first email was sent to the Lehigh University admissions department Feb. 23, hours after Anand posted. The subject was titled “Urgent Report of Admission Fraud – Seeking Immediate Investigation,” highlighting the username of Anand’s then-deleted Reddit account, the false death certificate, fake domains and other key details.

“He did the right thing,” said Weinert, of the moderator. “He didn’t feel that it was right that Anand went this route to take a position from someone else that could have gotten accepted.”

Court records show the report was received by the Lehigh University Police Department on Feb. 26. Weinert and members of the Northampton County district attorney’s office became aware of the case around March. Weinert was primarily involved in search warrants, including one to Reddit.

“I have not come across cases like this,” Weinert said. “I’ve talked to some very senior police officers, police chiefs, other attorneys in my office, and this is a first time for everyone that has seen this type of case.”

In late April, Anand’s admission to Lehigh was rescinded. The decision was made after Lehigh had “sufficient evidence that they made the determination that it was all fraudulent,” Weinert said.

“How can someone be this dumb and have courage to do this at the same time,” one comment in Lehigh’s Reddit channel read. The channel, which usually allows students to discuss class schedules and university events, was instead filled with discussion about Anand weeks after the news release confirmed Anand’s arrest.

Anand was not expelled; his admission was rescinded because he was treated as if he were never a student in the first place, according to Weinert.

Anand was interviewed by Lehigh officers April 30, and admitted to his entire fake application — he was then charged with three felonies  — forgery, theft by deception and theft of services — and a misdemeanor, tampering with records. Unable to pay bail, Anand was housed in Northampton County Jail for 44 days.

“I feel like he deserves more punishment, he took an opportunity from another student,” another comment in Lehigh’s Reddit channel says.

On June 12, he pleaded guilty to one count of forgery. The Northampton County district attorney’s office revealed the scheme two weeks later in a news release.

While he faced what could have been a lengthy prison term, the university requested that his penalty be reduced to expulsion and deportation to India.

“They really made the plea offer very favorable, and made my job much easier,” Weinert said of the university, which did not want Anand to spend time in jail — they also avoided seeking any restitution, which could have been as high as $85,000.

Anand was released to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on June 12. As of Thursday, a spokesperson for ICE said Anand is in custody at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Centre County, “pending removal proceedings.”

Anand’s visa was revoked because of his use of fake records, Weinert said.

“You can be deported if you commit a crime, but the way ICE handled it is they revoked his visa because he had to lie to get it,” Weinert said.

“We believe this to be a unique situation,” Amy White, the interim director of media relations in the Office of Communications and Public Affairs, wrote in an email. The college declined to comment further.