COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Attorney General (SCAG) Alan Wilson and FCC's Robocall Response Team want to warn consumers of a possible rise in scams related to student loan debt after the Supreme Court's decision in Biden v Nebraska. The decision struck down Biden's student debt relief plan and has been getting a lot of attention in national media that the FCC and SCAG believe may lead to scammers attempting to use the program as a pretext for misleading robocalls and texts.
Consumers should be wary of calls and texts offering some sort of relief from student loan debt -- especially from scam campaigns pretending to be from the “student loan forgiveness center” or from a state “forgiveness center.” Messages referencing a "settlement" with the Department of Education that entitles the recipient to "fully discharge" their student loan obligations are also scammers.
The FCC gives this advice for spotting a scam:
- You are pressured to send money or give personal information.
- The caller requests an upfront payment in order to apply or appeal your application.
- You are directed to any website outside of StudentAid.gov.
- You are requested to contact them via app-based message platforms.
- The call or text message claims to be from a “student loan forgiveness center” or a state “forgiveness center.”
- The call is made using a suspicious caller ID, such as a name that is inconsistent with the substance of the message, or the same area code and first three digits of your phone number.
To report suspicious robocalls or texts, go online to FCC Consumer Complaints or call 888-225-5322.
