COVID-19: Be on the look-out for scams, or other misrepresentations, related to COVID-19 Relief. The information on this page remains true as it relates to COVID-19 Relief, as any relief that is available to you on your student loans, relative to COVID-19, is offered through MOHELA.
Avoid Student Loan Scams
You never have to pay for help with your student loans!
Student loan debt can be overwhelming, particularly if you are struggling to make your monthly payments. What can make things more complicated is the number of Third-Party Debt-Relief or Document Preparation Companies. (Going forward, we’ll refer to these collectively as, "Debt Relief Companies".) These Debt Relief Companies may offer to consolidate or forgive your student loans, lower your balance, or reduce your monthly payments.
However, these offers often come at a price, which may not be clearly disclosed.
Debt Relief Companies may misrepresent who they are and what they do. For instance, Debt Relief Companies may charge you up-front and/or monthly fees in exchange for promises to deliver services. In many cases, these promises often go unfulfilled, and services unperformed. In addition, what these Debt Relief Companies may not tell you is that these services, such as any repayment plan or option it offers, is already available to you, free of charge, through the U.S. Department of Education.
MOHELA, a U.S. Department of Education servicer, is here to help walk you through all available repayment plans and options at no cost to you. So, you never have to pay for assistance with your student loans.
Warning Signs of a Scam
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...
Caution - Signs You're Being Targeted
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Contacted by someone, or a company, you do not know, about your student loan(s)
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Asked for upfront and/or monthly maintenance fees to sign up for services
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Asked to provide your FSAID Username and Password
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Asked to provide your log-in credentials for www.mohela.com
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Asked for your credit card, debit card, and/or other banking information
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Asked to sign a Power of Attorney or Third-Party Authorization
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Urged to act quickly because loan forgiveness programs are ending
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Promised your outstanding balance will be lowered immediately
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Told you that your student loan servicer will not help you
Things To Look Out For
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Official looking envelopes, letters, and e-mails
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Offers of loan forgiveness sent to you by text message, or received in a voicemail
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Calls from spoofed telephone numbers
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Someone directing you to stop, or redirect, your student loan payments
Be Careful
You should be careful not to give out sensitive, personal information, particularly to someone you do not know, nor trust.
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Federal Student (FSA) and MOHELA will NEVER ask for your FSAID, nor any other log-in information!
Debt Relief Companies often impersonate, or imply that they are affiliated with, the U.S. Department of Education and/or MOHELA (or, other servicers). This is not the case, and you can find the list of U.S. Department of Education approved servicers. Click here for the list of Approved Servicers.
You should be careful when signing a Third-Party Authorization and/or a Power of Attorney. Providing such authorization, or power, may allow others the ability to obtain additional information, and/or perform various actions on your behalf, respectively.
Protect Yourself
Steps to take if you feel like you were the target of a scam:
Contact Mohela!
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Change your Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID password
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Change your www.mohela.com password
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Ask about extra security being added to your account
Discontinue relationship with Debt Relief Company
If you wish to discontinue the relationship with the Debt Relief Company, you should know that the steps to do so often vary. Some things you should consider:
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Review any paperwork received, and any documentation you signed with the company.
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If applicable, contact your bank to stop payments to the company.
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If applicable, contact the Debt Relief Company to revoke any Power of Attorney or Third-Party Authorization.
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If applicable, contact MOHELA to revoke any Power of Attorney or Third-Party Authorization, with the Debt Relief Company.
Submit a Complaint
Submit a Complaint by contacting the following:
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U.S. Department of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA): studentaid.gov
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Federal Trade Commission: www.ftc.gov
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: www.consumerfinance.gov
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U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General: www2.ed.gov
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State’s Office of Attorney General: www.usa.gov
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Better Business Bureau: www.bbb.org
Helpful Information
For more information on student loan scams, see the links below:
Regulators
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U.S. Department of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid: Avoiding Scams
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Federal Trade Commission: FTC - Student Loan Debt Relief Scams
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Minnesota Attorney General: Beware of Student Loan Assistance Companies
Publications
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NerdWallet: How to Spot Student Loan Scams
You can find information about your student loan options on this website or on the U.S. Department of Education’s website: studentaid.gov.
