Did you get an offer for student loan debt relief? Don’t pay a fee up front!

Having trouble paying your student loan debt? You might get an offer that says you can reduce your monthly payment, or even reduce your overall debt.

The offer might look like it comes from the government -- and they might tell you that, first, you have to pay a fee. But it’s illegal for a company to ask you to pay a fee up front before they get you the promised relief. And it’s illegal for them to pretend to be from the government.

Because of the pandemic, people with federal student loans have some protections until Dec. 31. People with student loans can also take steps to handle their student loan debt. Start by learning to spot the scams:

Then, read more about managing your debt.

Have you spotted a scam? Report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint. And be sure to keep up to date on what the FTC is doing by signing up to get Consumer Alerts.