Right now there is over $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. With billions of dollars being loaned to students each year, there is no doubt that there are scammers trying to get your money that are offering services that they do not follow through on, or have no real idea about.
In fact, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) has even issued multiple warnings about what to look out for when it comes to getting help with your student loans. (For example, this one and this one).
Here are some common scams that are happening right now that you should be aware of when looking for student loan help.
This article is pretty long - we cover a lot of ground here. If you're looking at a specific company, jump to our section on "Is There Any Company You Can Trust To Help You".
What You Need To Know About Student Loan Debt Help
Before we dive into different types of student loan scams, it’s important that we talk about getting help for your student loan debt.
There are a lot of companies that advertise that they can help you with your loans – you might see the ads on Facebook, on Google, or even in the mail (yes, people still get mail). And these companies might promise you things or advertise some type of help for your student loan debt which might entice you to call or sign up.
Before you take any action with these companies, remember this: you don’t ever have to pay someone to get help with your Federal student loans if you don’t want to. Not that help is not available, but it’s up to you to decide if you want to do it on your own, or hire a professional organization to handle it for you.
Here's why:
- Enrollment in repayment programs is available at no cost to Federal student loan borrowers and can be done for free at StudentAid.gov
- Debt relief companies do not have the ability to negotiate with your Federal student loan creditors in order to get you a better deal.
- Payment amounts, qualifiers, requirements under IBR, PAYE, and other repayment programs are set by Federal law
But that doesn’t automatically mean paying someone for help is a scam. While these programs are free, signing up can be confusing for some people. Or they may have complex situations and want someone to help them. Just like some people do their taxes themselves, while others hire a CPA, the same applies to student loan debt help.
You can do it yourself. Or you could pay someone to help you (if you want to see who we recommend, scroll to the bottom). However, if you pay someone to help you, you need to make sure you’re not going to be ripped off and the company is reputable.
Here are the warning signs to help you avoid student loan debt relief scams.
Advanced Fee Scam
This scam involves a student loan company that tells you they can get you the "best" interest rate and loan terms, but you have to pay a "small" fee up front for this service. The fee can be anywhere from 1-5% of the loan amount. Sometimes the fee is a flat rate up front (say $1000).
If you come across this offer - RUN! There are no circumstances in which you should have to pay money to get money. Legitimate student loans, even from private lenders, do not require any fees up front. If there are any fees, they are deducted from the disbursement check or they are included in the repayment amount and are amortized over the repayment period.
There are two common fees that will be paid with the loan, but once again, never up front. Federal student loans charge a 1% default fee, but charge no origination fees. Most private loans charge some type of either disbursement fee or origination fee, but these are usually negotiable and vary widely from lender to lender.
If you are working with a third-party company to help you with your student loan debt, they might take a fee up front. But this fee should go into an escrow account (or third party account) and the company should only get paid once they prove they’ve helped you sign up for a program. Look for wording like “we only get paid once you’ve made your first payment on your new repayment program”.
Note: A new variation on a theme has emerged in the last year. Instead of charging a direct advanced fee, some companies are offering a second personal loan - which is basically a fee in the format of a loan. Most borrowers who get involved in this don't realize they took out a new loan, and there are repercussions if you cancel or don't pay (such as interest and collection fees).
The bottom line is, if you use a third party company, make sure you fully understand the pricing and payment structure.
Loan Consolidation Scam
After you graduate, it might be a good idea to consolidate your student loans. This is another area that is ripe with scams. The most common student loan consolidation scam is one in which the company charges a consolidation fee, but actually does nothing. The fee is sometimes called processing fees, administrative fees, or consolidation fees.
If you have a federal student loan, there are no fees whatsoever for student loan debt consolidation. You can do it yourself for free at StudentAid.gov.
If you have a private student loan, there are a number of lenders who will refinance your private loans, federal loans, or both. Refinancing differs from consolidation in that rather than simply combining all your loans into one, you are actually taking out a separate loan with a new lender who pays off your existing loans. Credible is a comparison tool that allows you to fill out one form and see personalized offers from multiple lenders in the space. Going through any lender on the Credible platform is NOT a scam.
Plus, College Investor readers can get up to a $750 bonus when they refinance through Credible!
Finally, if you are considering consolidation, make sure you read our guide on The Right Way To Consolidate Your Student Loans.
Law Firm Lawsuit Student Loan Scam
This is a scam where a law firm will claim to be able to settle your student loan debt. There are a lot of variations on this scam, but typically a borrower is referred to a law firm by a "student aid company". The student aid company promises that this law firm can settle your student loan debt for thousands less than you owe.
Many times the law firm will ask you to make your full student loan payment to the the law firm itself (or whatever amount you can afford to pay). The law firm says they'll then negotiate a settlement with your lender.
However, what typically happens is that this law firm doesn't make any payments while negotiating with your lender - as such, you go into default on your student loans. At that point, the law firm will then claim you can't pay your bills, and try to negotiate a settlement based on that.
What happens to you, as the borrower, is that your credit score is trashed, and you made thousands of dollars in payments to the law firm. In the end, there is no guarantee that you will be able to settle your loans. And even if you do, the process may take years, and you'll still have to deal with the settlement in the end.
If you're considering speaking to a lawyer about your student loan debt, learn about what a lawyer can do for your student loans.
Student Loan Debt Elimination Scam
The important thing to remember about student loan debt is that it must always be repaid - it cannot be eliminated unless you have a federally qualifying reason (death, permanent disability, school closure, falsification of documents or identity theft). If you come across a company that promises to get your student loan debt eliminated, it is a scam!
We see these scams a lot relating to closed for-profit colleges and universities. Companies will advertise that, simply because you attended a certain college or university, you can get your student loans eliminated. This is usually false.
There are many potential student loan forgiveness programs that you can read about here. If your school closed or is facing lawsuits, you can potentially do what’s called Borrower Defense to Repayment. But if you’re paying a company for help, ask them specifically what they are doing for you.
Scam Or Bad Service?
There are times when it's not a scam, but it just seems like one because the customer service is bad or paperwork gets “lost”. For example, I get a lot of readers asking about the FedLoan Servicing Scam. FedLoan isn't a scam, but just a poorly run student loan servicing company that is looking out for their own best interest.
Student Loan Servicer is actually the code word for “Student Loan Collection Agency.” Another one I get asked a lot about is NelNet, especially when it comes to their KwikPay Service. Once again, not a scam, just a poorly run program that is incentivized by the collection of full payments.
I hope this helps you navigate the world of student loans a little better and avoid getting played. If you want to know more, don't forget to check out my Definitive Guide to Student Loan Debt.
Student Loan Relief Red Flags
Now that you know some of the main types of student loan relief scams, what are some red flags to look for?
Based on talking to consumers for several years, these themes have emerged:
- Any company that claims to have a relationship with the Department of Education (third-party companies do not have any relationship with the Department of Education)
- Any company that promises you a set payment or forgiveness (companies cannot promise forgiveness or guarantee an income based repayment because both will change based on your income)
- Any promise of immediate loan forgiveness or cancellation
- Any promise that a buyer will buy the loan and settle it for a set amount
- Any promise that because your school closed or is being sued, you an get forgiveness
Is There Any Company You Can Trust To Help You?
Even though I’ve said countless times you can do it for free at StudentAid.gov, there are still people who’ve asked me “that’s great Robert, but I still want to pay someone to help me – who can I trust?” That’s a fair question, so who can you trust?
Next, call your student loan servicing company. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but 80% of issues and concerns can be resolved by simply calling your loan servicer. These free options are usually your best bet for help with student loans.
If you're still not quite sure where to start or what to do, consider using talking to a financial planner that specializes in student loan debt. A real financial planner with have a CFP or similar designation, AND they will have a fiduciary duty to you. We recommend the Student Loan Planner. Check out our Student Loan Planner review here.
Worried You're Being Scammed?
I hope this helps you navigate the world of student loans a little better and avoid getting played. If you want to know more, don't forget to check out my Definitive Guide to Student Loan Debt.
Are you worried that you could be dealing with a scammer? Stop by our new Student Loan Forum and post about it in the Student Loan Scams section. Protect yourself and protect others as well!
Readers, have you ever been the victim of a student loan scam?
Robert Farrington is America’s Millennial Money Expert® and America’s Student Loan Debt Expert™, and the founder of The College Investor, a personal finance site dedicated to helping millennials escape student loan debt to start investing and building wealth for the future. You can learn more about him on the About Page, or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.
He regularly writes about investing, student loan debt, and general personal finance topics geared towards anyone wanting to earn more, get out of debt, and start building wealth for the future.
He has been quoted in major publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, Fox, ABC, NBC, and more. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.