Big Scam on Campus?

May 26, 2007 — -- Gaining admission to Stanford University is a dream for countless high school students. But not getting in to Stanford apparently does not mean that you can't go. That was the case for 18-year-old Azia Kim -- a graduate of Troy High School in Fullerton, Calif. -- who for months fooled Stanford undergraduates into believing she was one of their own.

Though university officials would not confirm the identity of the imposter, Stanford has announced a "comprehensive investigation into a non-student allegedly living in university residences," according to a statement issued by the university. Several people with knowledge of the case confirmed to ABC News that Kim is the imposter. The university's student newspaper, The Stanford Daily, first reported that university officials asked Kim to leave campus May 21, after her alleged fraud was revealed by dormitory officials who had grown suspicious of the young woman.

Stanford undergraduates told ABC News affiliate KGO that Kim persuaded students to let her stay in their dorm rooms by telling them that circumstances had temporarily left her without housing. Kim perpetrated her fraud in at least two separate dorms, moving more recently to Stanford's Asian-themed Okada Hall, according to students. In Okada, Kim persuaded dorm mates to leave a ground floor window open to allow her to enter the building without a key, the Stanford Daily reported.

"It's absolutely mind-boggling that she was able to stay here for that long and not get caught," Stanford student Varun Rachakonda said to KGO. Another student told KGO that he often saw Kim in the dining hall.

The university is still investigating whether Kim actually attended any classes as part of her ruse, but students told the Stanford Daily that she bought textbooks and participated in student study sessions. Stanford has appointed an associate dean to lead the investigation, which will also seek to "discover where there may be gaps in Stanford's system of identifying enrolled students," according to a statement issued by the university.