Where do you report a student loan scam or a servicer mistake?
Summary
Report a debt relief scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the Education Department's Feedback Center. A federal servicer error goes to the Feedback Center once the servicer itself hasn't fixed it, and complaints about private loans or servicing can go to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Credit report errors are disputed with the credit bureau and with the company that supplied the information.
Signs the offer isn't real
Neither the Education Department nor its servicers will ask for your FSA ID password. StudentAid.gov says a company that has your FSA ID can change your account without your permission, and the FSA ID works as a legal signature.
A debt relief company is likely a scam if it wants a fee before doing anything, promises immediate and total forgiveness, asks you to sign a third-party authorization or power of attorney, or says the offer ends soon. Charging before providing help is illegal, and so is pretending to be affiliated with the Education Department, according to the FTC. Payment amounts on income-driven plans are set by federal law, so there is no special deal a company can negotiate with your servicer. Your federal servicer helps for free.
If you already paid or gave out your login
StudentAid.gov lists these steps:
- Ask your federal loan servicer to revoke any power of attorney or third-party authorization on file, and check that nothing was changed on your loans.
- Ask your bank or card company to stop payments to the company.
- File a complaint with the FTC.
- Report the activity through the Feedback Center.
- Log in to StudentAid.gov and change your password.
A wrong balance or payment status
| Where | What it handles | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Your servicer | Balance, payment status, and account corrections, plus deferment, forbearance, and discharge requests | The first stop for any federal loan problem |
| FSA Feedback Center | Federal loan disputes the servicer didn't resolve, school problems, suspicious activity | You can ask for an escalated review of the answer |
| FSA Office of the Ombudsman | Escalated reviews of Feedback Center cases | Researches the case and works with ED, the school, and the servicer |
| CFPB | Private student loans and student loan servicing | Companies generally respond within 15 days, or give a final answer within 60 |
The Ombudsman doesn't take private student loan complaints, payment or deferment requests, or matters already under formal investigation. With the CFPB, you get 60 days to give feedback on a company's response, and you generally can't file a second complaint about the same problem.
Credit report errors
The CFPB says fixing an error generally means contacting both the credit reporting company (Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion) and the company that furnished the information. Explain in writing what's wrong and why, and include copies of your documents. Furnishers generally must investigate and respond within 30 days, and if the information is wrong they must correct it and notify every credit bureau. If they keep it, you can ask the bureaus to add a statement explaining the dispute. The CFPB takes credit reporting complaints only after you've disputed with the credit reporting agency.
Sources
- Federal Student Aid, studentaid.gov/resources/scams
- Federal Student Aid, studentaid.gov/feedback-ombudsman
- FTC, consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2025/06/student-loan-scammers-wont-offer-relief
- CFPB, consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-do-i-avoid-student-loan-scams-en-2100
- CFPB, consumerfinance.gov/complaint
- CFPB, consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-do-i-dispute-an-error-on-my-credit-report-en-…
Written by Kaz (pen name). Figures are copied from the sources' published pages on the dates shown. We have not used these products. Corrections: contact form.