Las Vegas, NV (April 1, 2021) – Multiple student loan industry participants and advocacy organizations are using April Fool’s Day to warn consumers about a very serious trend – the rise of student loan scams.
#DontBeFooled is a national public education campaign designed to raise awareness and protect consumers against student debt relief scams. A consortium of student loan advocacy agencies, policy makers and other stakeholders are launching this public education campaign in response to a recent uptick in scam activity. The campaign will also help consumers learn what to do if victimized by such scams and how to report illegal activity to the Federal Trade Commission.
The recent economic impact of COVID-19 has left millions of struggling student loan borrowers, in particular groups that traditionally experience high levels of scam activity, including first time student families and borrowers, vulnerable to scams and misinformation through questionable private entities. “Every year thousands of struggling borrowers are lured by questionable companies who promise student debt relief, forgiveness or lower payments for a fee, when in fact, at best, they are charging thousands of dollars to enroll consumers in programs that are free and easy to access.” says Betsy Mayotte, President and Founder of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors. “Edvisors stands committed to help students and families stay informed with the information they need to know.” says Anita Thomas, Chief Marketing Officer of Edvisors. “We are proud to participate with The Institute of Student Loan Advisors and other industry organizations to get this message out.”
While these scams are not new, a more recent tactic has been to promise consumers they will be qualified for the “Biden loan forgiveness”, which at this time does not exist. They also infer partnerships with the borrower’s servicer or the U.S. Department of Education and make it appear that if the consumer does not act right away, the opportunity for loan forgiveness or a lower payment option will disappear, none of which is true. Consumers should know that a legitimate servicer or the government will never call them offering loan forgiveness.
Consumers can report student debt relief scams to the Federal Trade Commission.
Participants in the #DontBeFooled campaign include: Office of Senator Elizabeth Warren ,the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy, the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, AccessLex, the Office of Massachusetts State Representative Natalie Higgins, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the, Massachusetts State Senator Susan Moran, Massachusetts State House Representative Kathleen LaNatra, TICAS, the Hildreth Foundation, the Student Loan Sherpa, the Student Loan Fund, Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, NerdWallet, Allston/Brighton Community Development Center, National Consumer Law Center; Young Invincibles, the Massachusetts Education Finance Authority, Edvisors, Mapping Your Future, Startnoo, Ascendium Education, Midas Collaborative, Springfield College.
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Company info:
For more than 20 years Edvisors has been known as one of the largest and most trusted resources to help students find their path to success. We work to provide information from both our professional and personal experiences, to help individuals through college and beyond. Every year, millions of students and their families turn to the company's flagship site, Edvisors.com, for timely and accurate information, advice and tools that help them confidently make the best decisions about paying for college. Edvisors owns ScholarshipPoints.com, where students have been awarded over $1 million to date, and PrivateStudentLoans.com, which helps borrowers find private loan solutions during school and in the refinancing stage.