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Having trouble paying your student loan debt? You might get an offer that says you can reduce your monthly payment, or even reduce your overall debt. The offer might look like it comes from the government…and they might tell you that, first, you have to pay a fee. But it’s illegal for a company to ask you to pay a fee up front before they get you the promised relief. And it’s illegal for them to pretend to be from the government.

Because of the pandemic, people with federal student loans have some protections through the pause. Visit the U.S. Department of Education to learn more. People with student loans can also take steps to handle their student loan debt. Start by learning to spot the scams:

/sites/www.consumer.ftc.gov/files/video-0158_studentloandebtreliefscams_640x360_play.jpg

Then, read more about managing your debt.

Have you spotted a scam? Report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint. And be sure to keep up to date on what the FTC is doing by signing up to get Consumer Alerts.

Updated November 23, 2022 to reflect the extension of the student loan payment pause. Visit the U.S. Department of Education to learn more.

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Student Loan and Education Scams

128 Comments

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

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We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.

holdup
October 13, 2020
I am saying that over and over. In my knowledge I said the truth. Some loan students services are involve with fraudulent misrepresentation in the years 2010's and so on. I have prove of that. Evidence not lie, word is
Jan
October 13, 2020
Yes. Practically on a daily basis
Smart senior
October 13, 2020
I get calls all the time from places claiming they can help me with my student loan debt. Well, I don’t have any student loans! Last time I went to college was over 20 years ago and was covered by my employer! I don’t answer such calls and report them to the do not call web site!
Hope
October 13, 2020
I have received calls like this from phone numbers beginning with 713-494 exchange. They started about 3 months ago, and they are non stop. Can someone put a stop to this?
Kd49
October 13, 2020
I have been getting these calls for the past few years now. I don't have a student loan. The one I had was back in 1985 and was it completley paid by 1986.
slhsc
October 13, 2020
We get robocalls regarding our "student loan debt" all the time. We do not and have never had student loan debt and are in our 60s. I have attempted to get them to stop calling us, but they just keep using different phone numbers. If you get a person, they hang up on you.
Jean Bianco
October 13, 2020
I receive phone calls a lot saying my student loans are overdue. I don't and NEVER had student loans. I told them that. I also said I'm 68 years old and, if I still had student loans, I would be one stupid student.
Girl California
October 13, 2020
I fell for this. Didn't help me at all. And I paid them 799
Bridgetpaiged
March 19, 2021

In reply to by Girl California

Don’t feel bad. I got scammed by a debt consolidation company but luckily realized it before I hand them too much money. I still lost like $400 though
BJFGIRL
October 14, 2020
All day everyday! Sometimes as early as 6-7am!!
Carmelos53
March 30, 2021

In reply to by BJFGIRL

Ladies and gentlemen boys and girls you have just been scammed if you called and send any money to Megan regarding Student relief loan you've been scammer. As simple as that. The number (501)274-0454 originates from the Midwest. Please don't fall for this scam. Call the US government and get all the information on how to fix your Student loan problem.
Hello2021
April 21, 2021

In reply to by Carmelos53

Yeah I just got a call from her. Knew it was fake but looked up her number then found your comment!
Melz3Kids
April 27, 2021

In reply to by Hello2021

Yeah Just got a call from Megan 501-274-0454 stating my student loan can be forgiven, I am like yeah right.
DB9078
April 28, 2021

In reply to by Hello2021

Same here. I looked up the number and found this by the number. Smh
Carpediemgirl
April 29, 2021

In reply to by Hello2021

Same here! It sounded fishy so I Googled the number. This was the first result. Glad I didn’t call back!
Nole4L
April 26, 2021

In reply to by Carmelos53

I got the same call and googled the number and your comment came up as well. Thank you for including this. I received the call from +1 (701) 779-6021 and in the voicemail she said to call her back at 501-274-0454
student
April 26, 2021

In reply to by Carmelos53

Do you know how to report this scammer? I got the same call. (And thanks for your comment, it's helpful to be able to Google the call and verify that it is indeed a scam!)
Got_A_Call_Fro…
April 29, 2021

In reply to by Carmelos53

I just got a call from "Megan" with this same number. Sounded so real. Glad I googled the number!
lschitwood55
October 15, 2020
I never took out loan,I went on War Orphan benefits and still get 2-3 calls a week after I asked several times to be removed from list.......Aggravating!
Gofer
October 14, 2020
Used to get them like clockwork. Now, it's something else. I never had a student debt and the only time I ever talked to them, I told them so. Since then, I just see what number is calling and if it isn't someone I know, I just hit the "decline" button. If someone wants to leave a message on my voice mail, I'll listen to part of it, before deleting it. I've reported several numbers to you guys.
Achilles0503!
October 15, 2020
I’m pretty sure my family is in the middle of getting scammed. The company we’re dealing with already took out over $200 for the past 2 months. Their company name is one name and the company taking the ACH withdrawals has a different name. I still haven’t sent them the paperwork they’re requesting to finalize application. Wow!! Who do I call about our situation.
Katdal
October 16, 2020
How annoying that I continuously get calls about student loans when I have no student loans at all! I’ve been out of college since 1991. I paid off my student loans in full at least 25 years ago. I don’t understand why these calls are able to continue when so many people report these fraudulent callers.
Don't use your…
October 18, 2020
I get calls mon to friday. Wish i would get a call from the real student loan debt relief companys because i really could use some help w my student loans
Susanne Headen
October 19, 2020
I get at least one telephone call about student-debt relief! every week and I never took out a student loan! If I apply for a student loan because I am going back to school is this going to increase?? If just gets more and more muddled!
PtthMcee
October 21, 2020
Yes, I also have gotten this call...but I do not have any student loan debt.
Paloma
November 27, 2020
I just got a call about loan forgiveness, and it says since there will be a new president in 2 month to call if I wish to finish my loan application to have a chance for college loan forgiveness. Since I finished college more than 20 years ago and paid in cash, obviously I have no history of school loans. The scam number that called was 6783315731
frustrated
December 08, 2020
I just received a call from 478-376-6106 claiming they had new info for when the deferments end at the end of the year. After talking with 2 people who couldn't explain who they were or how they got my info they transferred me to person #3. As soon as I asked a question, he hung up. Definitely not on the up and up.
Amanda
February 18, 2021
I keep receiving calls from scammers and the most common calls are from scammers making fraudulent claims of date relief. I do not and never will have date. I am disabled. I have never used loans. I am responsible. Never use loans for anything, loans don't help they are bad. Also, people need to stop engaging with these phone calls. That's the only way to stop them. Just like a bully, walk away and report them. If they don't stop, block them and save the information to use for reporting them to the government. If it gets bad enough change your phone number. Businesses don't ask for private information over the phone nor threaten you. Its illegal. The law enforcement don't call you to warn you, they would get a warrant and come to your door. This is common sense. You can learn the laws by reading government documents on the internet. Any website ending with .gov is government. I wish everyone the best. Be careful.
Donnie
February 23, 2021
I have never had a student loan but I keep getting calls about my debt
stopthespampls
February 25, 2021
Voicemail left: “Regarding your federal student hi this is Megan I'm calling with student loan relief um you can reach me at 501-274-0454 um I'm just actually reaching out to you regarding your federal student loan balance got some good news for you you've been prequalified for the student loan forgiveness program however it's just really important that we speak to you as soon as possible before these programs change so again I'm gonna give you my number is 501-274-0454" Enjoy!
TiredoftheCall
March 01, 2021

In reply to by stopthespampls

Received the same call from the same person and exactly the same message and telephone number which came up as 334-810-2832.
TiredoftheCall
March 01, 2021

In reply to by stopthespampls

Received the same call from the same person and exactly the same message and telephone number which came up as 334-810-2832.
speed_racer
March 09, 2021

In reply to by TiredoftheCall

I just now received the same phone call from Megan with same voicemail with a call back number with the 501 area code
mkalbertus
March 11, 2021

In reply to by speed_racer

Just got the exact same call a few minutes ago - area code 501.
Mary
March 12, 2021

In reply to by mkalbertus

Just got that exact call from Meghan too with the number you listed. I’m sure I’ll be continuously receiving these now from various disguised numbers like the last scammer claiming to relieve me of my credit card debt that I don’t have. Ugh!
spamcallsareso…
March 12, 2021

In reply to by mkalbertus

PLS THEY CALL ME LIKE 7 TIMES A DAY AND IM NOT EVEN IN COLLEGE YET UGH
myaeger1994
March 15, 2021

In reply to by mkalbertus

I did as well. Ive been trying to investigate to see if its a scam or not but I cant find anything on it!
Dol_mama
March 16, 2021

In reply to by myaeger1994

I just got it today too! "...to reach me at 501-274-0454 i'm just actually reaching out to you regarding your federal student loan balance got some good news for you you've been pre-qualified for the student loan forgiveness program however it's just really important that we speak to you as soon as possible before these programs change so again i'm going to give you my number it's 501-274-0454 and i i hope to hear back from you soon and have a great day" but she was calling from a nevada number - 775 508 4045
anonymous
April 08, 2021

In reply to by Dol_mama

Just received the same message with the same call back number! Although the caller ID had a different number from Kennett, MO.
Pgulsrud
April 12, 2021

In reply to by anonymous

I also just received this voicemail with the 501 number today.
alyschne
April 19, 2021

In reply to by Pgulsrud

Got the same voicemail many here mentioned. Same call back number at 501-274-0454, but somehow this 'Megan' was calling from 855-780-1642. While I would love to get some relief on my student loans, I'm highly skeptical of people reaching out with help in this day and age. Glad to see others report this here so I knew I wasn't wrong to think it was a scam. Hope others find this as well!
Patrick
April 20, 2021

In reply to by alyschne

Hi, got the same call from same Megan - number was 740.864.1881... Thankfully, I don't have any student loan debt. Megan you are a scammer.
NotMy_e-mail
March 18, 2021

In reply to by stopthespampls

Received exactly the same voice mail from phone number: 425-448-5271 on March 15.
18779580959
April 13, 2021

In reply to by NotMy_e-mail

Same, said the same way, coming from 18779580959, so now I hope it links back here as a warning. It's prerecorded looks like, not a live message, although it sounds legit.
Elena
March 23, 2021

In reply to by stopthespampls

I just received the same voicemail, from a Megan, from the 501 area code phone number.
Lara
March 25, 2021

In reply to by Elena

I just received the same message--here's the vm text: Hi this is Megan. I'm calling with student. Hi this is Megan. I'm calling with student loan relief. You can reach me at 501-274-0454. I'm just actually reaching out to you regarding your federal student loan balance. Got some good news for you? You've been pre qualified for the student Loan Forgiveness program. However, it's just really important that we speak to you soon as possible before these programs change. Yes, so again, I'm going to give you my number. It's 512740454 and I hope to hear back from you soon and have a great day.
Claire
March 25, 2021

In reply to by stopthespampls

Got a very similar message. Basically the same script but slightly reworded. Phone number the call was from is 1-855-591-2438, but they told me to call them back at 877-740-1490.
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