And is this common?
I don't mean faking transcripts or intercepting and falsifying GRE scores, I mean stuff like presenting a poster at some obscure undergrad conference or club (but not really), inventing an internship or volunteer opportunity or maybe even a modest departmental award. Do adcomms make any attempt to verify the softer parts of an application? And if not, doesn't this seem like an invitation for desperate students to try and take advantage given how competitive admissions have become and the time and money at stake.
And to head off the obvious question, NO, I don't plan on doing this myself. I'm just wondering if this is common and what checks are in place to prevent this kind of stuff.