LINDSEY REISER:
00:01:09
Wow. So how is it possible to sell a scientific paper or an award? Yeah, so we reviewed dozens of social media posts that showed advertisements for pre-written scientific papers that had already been accepted by a journal, and people could purchase to have their name listed as an author on them. And experts in research integrity told us this could happen from a couple of different scenarios. One is that anyone can start up a journal, a low-quality journal, like maybe a predatory journal that accepts for publication basically anything. The more dangerous scenario is when bad actors manage to get hired at actual credible journals and then accept fraudulent science for payment. Wow. Do immigration officials have any idea that this is going on, or are they doing anything about it? Yeah, we spoke to two former US Citizenship and Immigration Services employees who told us that the agency is aware of this pattern and that they have been investigating it even before President Trump returned to office. They also told us that the agency might be going back and reviewing applications they've already approved to make sure they didn't give anyone an application that misrepresented themselves on their application. In a statement to CBS News, a spokesperson for USCIS emphasized they're committed to thoroughly vetting all applicants. But we know this is also coinciding with a larger crackdown that the administration is bringing on immigration fraud.
LINDSEY REISER:
00:02:33
Fascinating. Thank you for bringing us your reporting, Julia Ingram. Appreciate it. Thank you.
