Financial advisor told me to say I’m dependent on my disabled mother for more financial aid - trouble with keeping up with this

Start saving. You committed fraud, repeatedly. I am in disbelief how every time you could of not done fraud, you decided to do it.

I asked the advisor if I would get more aid if I just applied as an independent for school. He told me I’d be better off saying I’m dependent on my mother and that no one would know she’s not my custodial parent.

You did this to get more aid. This is fraud.

work off the books at a restaurant 2 days a week.

So also tax fraud. Illegal.

I had to fill out a low income house form where they basically say they notice we have low income and ask how we afford food, medical, rent, clothes / leisure, car expenses, etc.

No shit. When you blatantly abuse the system, they want their money back.

They also noticed I wrote I had $500 of unreported income and would like a hand written letter on where this money is from. I was going to write $250 from selling a bike and the rest as birthday / holiday gifts, but don’t want a hard time on proof of me selling the bike so maybe I’m better off just saying holiday gifts or putting $0 next time I fill out the form?

No one will give you advice to lie and break the law here. Take responsibility and stop lying.

If this happens, what do I do? I don’t remember the name of the counselor who helped me with this 2 years ago and am worried about telling anyone about this because I don’t want to get in trouble. My family doesn’t help me with money and there’s no way I would be able to afford this on my own and refuse to take a loan out.

To late. It's happening. Think of it as an additional education.

My last school didn’t require all this additional paper work, but it feels like my current one is gate keeping my financial aid until I prove that my mother uses all these services.

gatekeeping to require those who request services to have to show they need them? I wonder why? Not like someone may abuse it....

2020 I was dorming at a college for a semester so maybe I’ll say that’s why it’s only a 1 person house hold in that year? I’m not really sure what to do

STOP LYING.

Tldr- op commits fraud and lies, wonders how to lie to get out of it. Advice is to stop lying and save money to payback the money they fraudulently obtainined.

/r/legaladvice Thread