Scams to know

Student loan forgiveness scam calls and texts

5 min read · Updated November 11, 2026

"Hi, this is the student loan forgiveness department returning your call. Under the new federal program you're eligible to have your balance reduced to zero, but enrollment closes Friday." You never called them, there's no deadline, and anything they can do for a fee, you can do yourself for free.

What the call or text sounds like

Student loan scammers follow the news. Whenever there's a headline about forgiveness, repayment plans or a court ruling, the calls and texts spike. Typical pitches (illustrative):

"FINAL NOTICE: Your federal student loans are eligible for discharge. Call (213) 555-0174 before your eligibility expires."
"We're calling from the Department of Education's Loan Processing Division about your account status."
"We can lower your payment to $0 and get you forgiveness in as little as 90 days. There's just a one-time document preparation fee of $699."
"To get started, I'll need your FSA ID username and password so we can file on your behalf."

How the scam works

Some of these operations take an upfront fee and disappear. Others are slower and more damaging:

They use your FSA ID to log in to your StudentAid.gov account, change your contact details so you stop hearing from your servicer, and sign you up for things you didn't choose.
They have you sign a "third-party authorization" or power of attorney so they can deal with your servicer in your place.
They charge a monthly "program fee" that you think is your loan payment, but the money never reaches your loans, which can fall behind.

You never have to pay for help with your federal student loans. StudentAid.gov says so directly: applying for repayment plans, consolidation and forgiveness programs is free through StudentAid.gov or your loan servicer. The Department of Education and its partners will never ask for your StudentAid.gov username or password.

It's illegal to charge you first

Under the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule, companies selling debt relief over the phone generally can't collect fees until they've actually settled or changed at least one of your debts. The FTC is blunt: only scammers charge before they help. It has also sued student loan "debt relief" companies for doing exactly that.

Red flags

Any fee to apply for forgiveness, a repayment plan or consolidation.
A promise of guaranteed or fast forgiveness, or a "limited time" deadline.
A request for your FSA ID, username or password.
Claims to be from, or affiliated with, the Department of Education. Official loan servicers use websites and email addresses ending in .gov.
Instructions to stop paying your servicer and pay them instead.
Pressure to sign documents on the spot, or a contract you're told not to read closely.

How to check your real options

Log in to StudentAid.gov by typing the address yourself. You'll see your loans, who your servicer is, and the repayment and forgiveness programs you can apply for.
Contact your servicer using the details listed on StudentAid.gov.
For general questions, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

If you have private student loans, contact your lender directly. Private loans aren't covered by federal forgiveness programs, so anyone promising federal forgiveness for a private loan is selling something.

If you already signed up or paid

Change your StudentAid.gov password right away, and check that the email, phone and mailing address on your account are still yours.
Call your servicer. Tell them you were scammed, ask them to remove any third-party authorization, and confirm your account and payment status.
Stop the payments. Contact your bank or card issuer to block future charges and dispute past ones.
Watch your credit. If you gave your Social Security number, visit IdentityTheft.gov and consider a credit freeze.
Report it (below). The Department of Education can monitor your account for more suspicious activity.

More steps: what to do if you've been scammed.

Where to report

Federal Student Aid, through the Feedback System on StudentAid.gov.
The FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
Your state attorney general.

Forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM), or test them in the Scam Text Checker. Then look up the number on ShadyCall. Student loan robocallers often show up under debt relief calls and robocalls, with FTC and FCC complaints listed on each number page.

If a "forgiveness department" called you, report the number on ShadyCall. Choose "Debt relief" and note what fee they asked for. It helps other borrowers spot the same pitch.