MILWAUKEE — 230,000 people could have all of their student loan debt forgiven in Wisconsin alone, according to data from Student Loan Hero.
The federal application process is open and thieves are ready to trick those who are anxious to wipe that debt.
We received a voicemail, which sounds legit. A woman named Elizabeth says she's with a company that can help with your student loan forgiveness.
Here is the full transcript:
"It's Elizabeth with Student Advisor my number is (800) ***-****. I'm just giving you a call in regard to your school loans. I do have you pre-qualified for the updated forgiveness program and possibly even loan discharge. It is just imperative that we go over the details just as soon as possible because it does look like your status will expire soon. But I'll keep it in pending status for you now. So I do hope to hear from you soon and have a great day."
But, the first lesson you should know is the federal government will not contact you via the phone to discuss your student loans.
The entire process to have up to $20,000 of your federal student loans forgiven will not cost you a dime.
"'For a fee, we can move this to the top of the line' - and that is not true," said Lisa Schiller with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving Wisconsin.
We called back the number left in the voicemail. The person on the other line works for a private company. They gave us a different name from the one left in the voicemail. Both employees who answered when we called quickly hung up after we asked where their company's address is.
"That's not transparency. I mean, if you're doing business with the public you should be able to tell 'this is my address.' What are you hiding?" said Schiller.
Schiller says she is going to create a report with the BBB to alert other potential victims.
You should also watch out for:
- Phishing e-mails from people posing as a government official
- Try to hover over any links to make sure it is legitimate
- Federal government will not contact you via the phone or text
- Visit ReportFraud.ftc.gov to report any suspicious messages you may have received
- You can also report suspicious messages with the Better Business Bureau Serving Wisconsin on the BBB website.
