EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) – People across the Chippewa Valley, including the staff at WQOW, have received a voicemail saying they’re pre-qualified for student loan forgiveness.
“I’m actually just doing a follow up call for you regarding your public student loans,” the caller says. “I do see here we still have you pre-qualified for the student loan forgiveness program.”
This call was even received by a WQOW staff member who has no student loans. Director of investigations for the Better Business Bureau serving Wisconsin Lisa Schiller said there are a lot of red flags to this call.
“First of all, the fact that they called on the phone. I mean, if you are eligible for a student loan forgiveness program of any sort you are not going to get a phone call from some unidentifiable person,” Schiller said.
And while student loan forgiveness does exist, Schiller said those programs are through the federal government, you have to apply for it, and few people qualify. That, on top of the vagueness of who it is that is calling you, is a huge red flag.
Schiller said when people receive calls like these they are likely seeking not just money, but your identity.
“They’ll want your name, they’ll probably ask for bank account information, social security information, address, phone number, who knows,” Schiller said. “With just a minimal amount of information you would be…
