Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Livingston County residents and others across the state are reminded to beware of scammers looking to take advantage of the Federal Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Program.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is offering guidance and tips for residents to follow to avoid being scammed now that the U.S. Department of Education has made available the application for student loan debt relief announced by the Biden Administration.

Nessel advises to not agree to pay anyone for assistance in obtaining the relief, and also to not be rushed. Nessel says to get people to act fast, scammers will warn they could miss qualifying for repayment plans, loan consolidation, or loan forgiveness programs if they don’t sign up right away. It’s also advised to not give out any FSA ID information, which could be used to gain access to an account and lead to identity theft.

Nessel says the opportunity for debt forgiveness is also an opportunity for scammers to try and gain access to someone’s personal and financial information. She says it’s important to remember that the federal government will not proactively email or text anyone to take advantage of the program.

More information about the debt loan relief program and how to report potential scams is available in the provided link.