How to Avoid Student Loan Scams

Managing student loan repayment can be complicated. If you're like most borrowers you many need help from an expert at some point, whether it's with navigating repayment plans, understanding the qualifications for student loan forgiveness programs or understanding options for relief during times of financial distress. Fortunately, there are many organizations, including your student loan servicer, that are dedicated to helping you manage your student loan debt.

Unfortunately, however, there are also some bad actors out there who operate student loan scams that are just out to take your money. Student loan repayment scammers often pose as official organizations and promise to help with your student loan debt. They might offer easy loan forgiveness or help reducing your monthly payment, often charging upfront fees for these services.

They may contact you directly in the mail or via email with false information, but they also advertise online. If you're looking for help with student loan repayment, these companies can turn up in the search results and may appear to be legitimate.

One of the problems with this is that it can make it difficult for borrowers to determine whether an organization is trustworthy. Understanding what to watch out for and what to do if you suspect you are being scammed can help you determine whether an organization is really there to help.

[Read: How to Pay Off Student Loans.]

Here are four tips to help you avoid student loan scams and get the repayment assistance you need:

-- Know your student loan servicer.

-- Never pay for help with student loan repayment.

-- Be aware there's no such thing as fast loan forgiveness.

-- Protect your personal information.

Know Your Student Loan Servicer

If you're just entering student loan repayment or are simply not sure who your student loan servicer is, it's a good idea to look that entity up now. Student loan servicers collect payments and manage your debt on behalf of your lender. You may have more than one servicer depending on how many student loans you have and whether you have a mix of federal and private student loans.

To find your federal student loan servicer, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 800-433-3243 or visit StudentAid.gov. For help finding a private student loan servicer, contact the lender.

When contacting borrowers, scammers sometimes use names and logos that mimic those of legitimate student loan servicers. It's a good idea to create an online account on your servicer's website where you can track your progress and select how you prefer to receive communications.

[Read: When to Contact Your Student Loan Servicer.]

Always check return addresses and email addresses to be sure they are legitimate. If you receive a communication and you're not sure whether it really came from your student loan servicer, you can always call or check the web portal on your servicer's website to confirm.

Never Pay for Help With Student Loan Repayment

If a company asks you for an upfront fee in exchange for student loan repayment assistance, that is a huge red flag. It's illegal for companies to charge you before they help you with your student loan, according to the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC.

There is also nothing that a third-party company can legitimately offer you that your student loan servicer does not already do for free or that you cannot do for yourself online.

If a company contacts you offering any service related to your student loan, it's always a good idea to get in touch with your student loan servicer first. Federal student loans have a wide range of repayment plans and offer loan forgiveness options, but there is no need to pay for any of them.

Likewise, it is possible to get a federal student loan out of default by consolidating or rehabilitating the loan, but be wary of companies offering alternative options or asking you to pay. If it is a legitimate program, your student loan servicer can help you enroll for free.

Be Aware There's No Such Thing as Fast Loan Forgiveness

For struggling student loan borrowers, offers of fast and easy debt relief might seem like a lifeline. But when something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

The federal government operates several student loan forgiveness programs, including Public Service Loan Forgiveness and TEACH Grants, but there is no way to expedite your progress or qualify any sooner. Loan forgiveness is earned after you make an established number of qualifying payments, and there is simply no quick fix that will make your loans go away.

[READ: Student Loan Forgiveness Programs for Teachers.]

Scammers may offer to dispute your loans, but getting student loan debt discharged is highly unlikely. There are some limited cases under which borrowers can have student loans discharged, including borrowers who attended a school that misled them or violated certain laws and in cases of death, total and permanent disability, and bankruptcy. If you feel that you qualify for any of these discharges, the best thing to do is contact your student loan servicer for assistance.

Protect Your Personal Information

If a company asks for your username and password for your federal student loan -- known as an FSA ID -- or private student loan websites, that is also a red flag. It's common for scammers to claim they need your login information or FSA ID to help you, but no legitimate company would ask you to share this personal information.

Sharing your FSA ID puts you at significant risk of losing control of your account. Scammer s can change your personal information, redirect your payments to their account and divert your notices so you don't receive delinquency warnings from your servicer. And you could be liable for their actions and lies.

If you think you've responded to a scammer, contact the FTC and your state attorney general right away so that they can help protect you. You can also alert them if you've been contacted by a scammer, so they can put the company on their radar for possible enforcement action.