It’s a staggering number. More than 42 million Americans owe a total of nearly $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. It’s no wonder people look for help. But not all help is legit. Scammers are targeting borrowers with student loan debt relief schemes that can actually make things worse.
In a new case announced today, the FTC alleges the operators of Mission Hills Federal and Federal Direct Group bilked borrowers out of more than $23 million. The FTC says these companies lured people with false promises to pay down student loans and lower monthly payments. According to the FTC, the companies also lied about taking over the servicing of the loans, which tricked people into submitting loan payments directly to them. In fact, the defendants diverted borrower payments to themselves.
What’s more, many of these borrowers went months, sometimes years, before learning their student loans weren’t being repaid. Why? The FTC says the defendants made people give their federal student aid IDs, or other personal information, to enroll in the debt relief program. They used that information to change borrowers’ contact information on U.S. Department of Education websites, which limited the borrowers’ contact with their federal loan servicers.
If you or someone you know feels overwhelmed by student loan debt, know this: There’s nothing a company can do for you that you can’t do yourself for free. If you have federal student loans, start with StudentAid.gov/repay. If you have private loans, talk with your loan servicer. For more information, check out ftc.gov/StudentLoans.
Here are a few tips to help avoid debt relief scams.
Spotted a scam? Let us know about it at ftc.gov/complaint.
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In reply to My mom is being harassed by by Jewel
In reply to My mom is being harassed by by Jewel
In reply to Is there any updates to this by Fraud Victim
In reply to Likewise - they took over $5K by Feryal48
You can report that to the FTC at www.FTC.gov/Complaint. The information you give goes into a secure database that the FTC uses for investigations.
In reply to If this scam has been shut by Fed Up
In reply to Any updates with this case? by Feryal48
The July 2019 press release for the case says after the FTC filed a complaint seeking to end the business' deceptive practices, a federal court temporarily halted the scheme and froze its assets. The case page shows the legal documents that have been filed since July 2019.
In reply to Megan "student loan advisory by morgrennacki
In reply to Call came in from 714-487 by NotHappening
In reply to Please be aware of this by Steadman.Blake
You can report that to the FTC at www.FTC.gov/Complaint. The information you give goes into a secure database that the FTC and other law enforcement agencies use for investigations.
In reply to Got this call today. My by stl314
In reply to Got this call today. My by stl314
In reply to Got this call today. My by stl314
In reply to Got this call today. My by stl314
In reply to Got this call today. My by stl314
In reply to Got this call today. My by stl314
In reply to Got this call today. My by stl314
In reply to Got this call today. My by stl314
Pagination