BBB warns about Student Loan payoff scams

If you have an outstanding student loan, watch out. Stephanie Garland of the Better Business Bureau says scammers making unsolicited calls offering to help graduates pay off their loans by transferring them to the Education Department.

Unfortunately, Garland says, it’s all a scam.

“Do not take the callers at their word,” she states.”When in doubt, hang up and call the Better Business Bureau. Go to actual web sites about loan forgiveness like Federal Student Aid and Navient’s official website.”

Navient is a U.S. corporation based in Wilmington, Delaware, whose legitimate operations include servicing and collecting student loans.

“We’re seeing a lot of people in this area who have student loan debt and we know its going to be very tempting for some people,” Garland says.

Those wanting to contact the Springfield BBB office by telephone should call (417) 862-4222 during normal business hours.