Scams, 3rd Party Debt Relief, and Identity Theft
For-profit companies and online entities may offer to ‘help’ you fill out your FAFSA or apply for Scholarships. Some of these offers imply that you must use their services, and some of them are outright scams. All of them will cost you money, and they may put you at risk for identity theft. If you have any questions about an offer, please feel free to check with our office.
Check this Student Aid site for additional help: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out.
We urge students and families to be cautious of any scholarship search opportunities that:
- Require you to pay fees
- Offer a money-back guarantee
- Guarantee that you will win some type of award
It has been brought to our attention that some students at UD or associated with UD faculty and staff may have received a mailing from College Financial Advisory or Student Financial Resource Center out of San Diego.
The letter gives an upcoming filing deadline, file status, and includes a student aid profile form that asks for your birth date, phone number, and other personal information including your signature. It also asks for a processing fee payable by check or money order.
UD did not initiate this mailing or provide names to the company. Financial aid and scholarship advising are available to all UD students free of charge. Please contact your financial aid counselor for help or advice.
It has also been brought to our attention that some students at UD or their parents have received calls regarding student loan debt. These calls say they are from Robin Fletcher with the following message (or a similar message), "I am calling in reference to your student loan and I need to discuss repayment options with changes that have taken place recently. My number is 866-569-6565 and please use this reference # 033991 to make thing easier."
These calls were not initiated by UD or student loan servicers. We recommend that you do not engage with the caller or call the them back if you receive a voice message. Always be wary of calls like this and never give personal information over the phone. See this information from the Federal Student Aid website: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/understand/servicers#free-help. And again, you can always contact your financial aid counselor for help or advice.
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