No, President Biden Isn’t Calling You About Student Loan Forgiveness

Receiving a personal phone call from the commander-in-chief’s office is impressive and even better about forgiving student loans. I’m not calling for you. it’s a scam.

Scammers take advantage of confusion about student loan forgiveness

There has been a lot of confusion about when student loans are waived, who is eligible, and how to apply for waivers. For one person, Debbie Carter, an artist living in St. Petersburg, Fla., who has $60,000 in federal loans, the surprise came within minutes of Biden’s announcement. new york timesCarter received a call from the “Student Loan Center of Florida” claiming they had records that they were eligible for student forgiveness and asked for a call back.

How to spot student loan forgiveness scam calls

Scammers usually come with a sense of urgency, claiming that your eligibility is expiring or you need to pay an upfront fee immediately to qualify for debt forgiveness.

A weekly email from the Department of Education warns, “Businesses may contact you to help you obtain loan forgiveness, forgiveness, cancellation, or debt forgiveness for a fee.” You don’t have to pay to take advantage of our student aid.”

Other red flags include asking for loan payments to be redirected, or requesting personal information such as social security numbers, federal student aid ID numbers, or financial information by phone, text, or email. included.

What to do when someone calls you about student loans

A good rule of thumb when dealing with potential scammers is to see if their company name is listed on the Better Business Bureau. scam trackerIllegal organizations receive complaints and negative comments from victims. However, keep in mind that new scams aren’t reported immediately, so being anonymous doesn’t mean you’re safe. If you are hoping for student loan forgiveness, you should also consider: sign up For updates on forgiveness and potential fraud, see weekly emails from the U.S. Department of Education. You can (and should) report Fraudulent Calls, Texts, and Emails to BBB’s Scam Tracker or Federal Trade Commission website.