She gets an ‘F’ in fraud.
A 28-year-old woman who faked being a 16-year-old to attend New York City high school was busted when the principal found her Facebook profile — which shows her real age in bold font.
Kacy Claassen enrolled at the Westchester Square Academy in the Bronx last month claiming to be Shamara Rashad, born in 2010, who had just moved to the Big Apple from Ohio with her sister, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Post.
A 28-year-old woman is facing charges after police say she posed as a teenager and enrolled in a Bronx high school.
She attended classes for two weeks — and was even issued a school ID with the phony name and age — until she was confronted by the suspicious school principal with a screenshot of her Facebook page, which revealed her true identity, police said.
Dead-giveaways on the social media page lists her birthday as July 29, 1997 and declares that she has a “beautiful daughter” alongside a photo of her holding a toddler-aged girl.
The same little girl is featured in numerous photos spanning several of Claassen’s social media accounts. But, bizarrely, investigators aren’t so sure she even has a kid, sources told The Post.
The wannabe teenager soon admitted that she had lied — and claimed a friend made her enroll in the school so she would qualify for more public assistance, according to police.
Cops believe she was likely trying to cash in on a benefits scheme, but didn’t give details about how it may have worked Wednesday.
Kacy Claassen in a social media photo. Facebook/KacyClaassenIn a recent scheme, so-called “ghost student” scammers pocketed financial aid by stealing identities, often through data breaches, then applying for online community college classes, ABC 7 reported in January. After financial aid comes through, they disappear.
Community colleges are often targeted because of their open enrollment policies — and it wasn’t clear how Claassen could get more public assistance by pretending to be in high school.
Claassen was arrested April 27 at the school campus and is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, trespassing and criminal impersonation.
She has pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on June 15, court records show.
“Enrollment fraud is a serious crime that fundamentally undermines New York City Public School values,” NYC Schools told The Post in a statement.
“The NYPD is actively investigating these allegations and will pursue all appropriate legal action against those responsible. We are providing all necessary and suitable support to the school community.”
The Bronx District Attorney’s office didn’t immediately return a request for comment about possible motives and the alleged benefits scheme Wednesday.
