Greg's Corner

Student debt scammers now using robocalls

By Greg Collier

Once again, the scammers have wasted no time in trying to fleece people who may be eligible for the government’s student debt forgiveness program. In this latest iteration of the scam, scammers are using robocalls to try to find victims. It’s being reported that in the Indianapolis area, residents are receiving phone calls and voicemails about student debt relief.

One Indiana resident says they received a voicemail that told them they were pre-qualified for student loan forgiveness, with the possibility of having their entire loan discharged. The resident was told to act fast because their status may expire soon. The caller even left their name.

When the resident called the number from the voice mail, he asked for the person who left the message. He was told that person worked in marketing. The representative then asked her if he had any questions about the program. He asked who they were, and he was given a generic bank name that is used by several different banks across the country. When he asked if there was a charge for the bank’s assistance, he was told there could be fees.

However, the scammers had called the wrong person. Not only did the Indianapolis resident not have any student loans, but he’s also the news director for a local station. When he told the representative it’s free to apply for the government program, they hung up.

Scammers use robocalls to cast the widest net possible to try to find just a handful of victims. They don’t actually know whether someone they call has student debt or not.

As we and others have been warning since these scams started, anyone calling you from out of the blue about student loan forgiveness is probably a scammer. When the application process starts next month, the government will not reach out to you. The forgiveness process will not be automatically applied to your student debt. Anyone who is eligible will need to apply on their own.

If you have any further questions about the student debt relief program, you can go to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on the Federal Government’s Student Aid website. They also have a section about scams.