Press Release: Attorney General Labrador Warns of Student Loan Scams

By Press Release • August 17, 2023

The following press release was sent out by the Office of Attorney General Raúl Labrador. Press releases do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of those at the Idaho Dispatch.

Boise ID – Consumer Alert: Federal Student Loans Resume in October 2023 and Student Loan Scams Increase

As student loan borrowers resume payments on their federal student loans in October 2023, Attorney General Raúl R. Labrador is warning affected Idahoans about scams targeting borrowers. Some of the most common scams are:

For a fee, the scammer will claim to be able to arrange smaller monthly payments.
For a fee, the scammer will claim they can negotiate loan forgiveness on behalf of borrowers.
The scammers will call posing as a loan servicer collecting on passed due amounts and pressure borrowers to make payments over the phone.

The Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) and U.S. Department of Education provide additional loan resources and information about scams. Borrowers can visit the FSAIC at https://studentaid.gov or by calling 800-433-3243. The Department of Education’s website is https://www.ed.gov.

Borrowers who are having difficulties with a student loan servicer may:

File a complaint with the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.
File a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a federal agency responsible for consumer financial protection.
File a complaint regarding their federal student loans with the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman.

If a borrower’s question is not answered with the resources provided, the borrower may contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division via email at tammy.wilson@ag.idaho.gov or by phone at 208-332-3086.