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Thread: Something to keep an eye on

  1. #1
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    Something to keep an eye on

    Noticed this on someone's facebook:

    Capture42.JPG

    Phone number is for:

    eduloanreliefcenter.com

    which, of course, is registered anonymously. They claim to with the Dept of Education on their facebook page.

    https://www.facebook.com/educationloanreliefcenter

    Sounds like the grant scam. Anyway, the thing that caught my eye was the above fake screenshot.
    The female anchor is French news anchor Mélissa Theuriau. Why would the French be reporting on this in their country and in English subtitles? Well, the answer is, they aren't and didn't.

    Seems they took some liberties with CNN and Fox news screencaps. Why the need to mislead if you are legit?

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  3. #2
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    Re: Something to keep an eye on

    The toll free number at eduloanreliefcenter.com also shows up at simplestudentloansolutions.com;





    Per http://who.godaddy.com/simplestudentloansolutions.com;
    Interestingly, that WhoIs gives a date from last September.
    Also at the bottom of the simplestudentloansolutions.com Homepage is this disclaimer;
    Ahh, here it is (it was in the Privacy Policy);
    search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail/EntityName/:
    The BBB has them under another name (see above, name change registered last December);
    bbb.org/south-east-florida/business-reviews/credit-and-debt-counseling/first-choice-credit-management-in-west-palm-beach-fl-90008848;

    ...........
    I ran across about half a dozen domains belonging to them.
    Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science. -C. Darwin

  4. #3
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    Re: Something to keep an eye on

    The "news picture" is fake / composited.

    Newsreader is Melissa Theuriau, who's a FRENCH news anchor. She won't be reading any ENGLISH news.

    Mélissa Theuriau - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Here's the same picture, albeit Photoshop(tm)ed to something else entirely:

    1.jpg
    ---
    A MLM Skeptic (not a Cynic) covering scams, critical thinking, and psychology
    http://amlmskeptic.blogspot.com

  5. #4
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    Re: Something to keep an eye on

    Quote Originally Posted by kschang View Post
    The "news picture" is fake / composited.
    Yes it is, Whip already pointed that out in the OP.

    And thanks for pointing out that her image has been used elsewhere.
    Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science. -C. Darwin

  6. #5
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    Re: Something to keep an eye on

    It looks like many of these companies are charging excessive amounts to fill out paperwork that the students could do themselves for free, and/or simply lying to people about what can be done.


    Student Loan Repayment Scams: How To Avoid Being Ripped Off - NBC News

    Millions of Americans are struggling to pay off their student loans and desperate to find a way to lower those monthly payments. Scammers know this, so they’ve created phony student loan “debt relief” companies that promise to help – for a price.

    Law enforcement has taken notice of this relatively new industry. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is cracking down on companies that can’t deliver on their “too good to be true claims” to reduce or eliminate student loan debt. Earlier this month, Illinois became the first state to file a lawsuit against a student loan debt relief agency.

    Madigan charged two companies with deceptive marketing for selling bogus or worthless services. Some of these ads promised to help clients enroll in the “Obama Forgiveness Program” – there is no such program. According to the lawsuit, the companies charged as much as $1,200 to do nothing more than fill out paperwork for free government programs.

    Telephone agents often falsely claimed the company was affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education, the lawsuit alleges.

    Student loan debt is a serious and growing problem in this country. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) estimates that outstanding student loan debt is approaching $1.2 trillion. About seven million student loan borrowers are now in default.

    Last year, the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), a non-profit advocacy group, studied the student loan debt relief industry. NCLC investigators visited websites, made secret shopper calls, examined contracts and reviewed online complaints.

    “There’s a whole range of misrepresentations,” said staff attorney Deanne Loonin. “They either make up a program that doesn’t exist, or they describe a government program and make it sound like it’s their own or claim to have some special way to access it for you.”

    In its report, Searching for Relief, the NCLC found numerous problems, including: charging for services that are available for free, failure to disclose fees online or when initially requested, and providing inaccurate information about crucial topics such as consolidation loans and garnishment.

    Most of these companies claimed to offer a broad range of services, but NCLC’s secret shoppers didn’t find that. “They’re not a counseling service and they don’t usually go through all the options available,” Loonin told CNBC.

    “They’re usually selling loan consolidation, so they are going to steer you in that direction, no matter what.” Loan consolidation is a good option for some people, but it doesn’t work for everybody and may not be available to all borrowers, Loonin said.

    NCLC’s mystery shoppers also found that some companies charge a monthly fee of from $20-$50 on top of the steep upfront payment. The report calls these fees “particularly suspect” since it’s unclear what service, if any, the customer is buying on a monthly basis.

    What can be done?

    People are looking for debt relief, but they don’t know where to get help. That enables companies to charge them for something they could do on their own for free. And while that’s not illegal, it is against the law to make false claims about the nature of the service or lie about being affiliated with the government's Direct Loan Program.

    Mark Kantrowitz, an expert on student aid and publisher of the Edvisors Network, believes students should receive better counseling about their loan repayment options – especially students who are about to drop out of school. Dropouts are four times more likely to default and represent about two-thirds of the loan defaults, he said.

    Kantrowitz would like to see Congress require debt relief services to “clearly and conspicuously disclose in their advertising and on their websites” that borrowers can consolidate their loans on their own for free at StudentLoans.gov.” In 2008, Congress decided to require a similar notice for companies that charge to prepare the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, he noted.

    Last week, Illinois AG Madigan told a congressional committee that these scams are the result of a larger problem – too many former students are having a hard time paying down their student loan debt. At the very least, she said, the Department of Education should create a public awareness campaign to get the message out to current and former higher education students that there are programs available that can help them.

    “The scammers have advertisements and these advertisements are working,” she testified. “We need ads highlighting real programs to counteract them.”

    Madigan would like to see a “streamlined and accessible system” within the Education Department to provide borrowers with information about their options and federal programs that might be able to assist them with repayment. She also called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would allow students to refinance their federal loans to take advantage of today’s low interest rates, similar to what is already offered to homeowners.

    Protect yourself.

    Do your homework before you do anything. Start with free options and be highly skeptical of any company that charges a fee and requires payment in advance. “Watch out for companies pretending to be blessed by or vetted by the federal government and watch out for companies that pretend to be part of a public repayment program,” cautioned Michelle Grajales, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission.

    Visit the CFPB > Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or the Student Loan Borrowers Assistance websites for information about legitimate sources of free assistance. The Illinois AG’s office has prepared a step-by-step guide on student loan debt relief. http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.g...r_Homework.pdf


    ================================================== =====
    "It's virtually impossible to violate rules ... but it's impossible for a violation to go undetected, certainly not for a considerable period of time." Bernie Madoff
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scam-...98399986981403

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  8. #6
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    Re: Something to keep an eye on

    Quote Originally Posted by ribshaw View Post
    Student Loan Repayment Scams: How To Avoid Being Ripped Off - NBC News
    Some of these ads promised to help clients enroll in the “Obama Forgiveness Program” – there is no such program.
    However, there is the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
    https://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loan...public-service;
    On January 31, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released an Employment Certification Package to help borrowers track their progress toward qualifying for PSLF.
    You can do this yourself for free.
    And there are employment restrictions.


    This just hit the wires a few hours ago.
    Senator Durbin Introduces Bill To Expand Student Loan Forgiveness Program to Adjunct Professors

    WASHINGTON, D.C.--(ENEWSPF)--July 31, 2014.
    As the reliance on part-time faculty grows at colleges and universities across the country, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced legislation that would allow part-time faculty – who are often paid low wages with few benefits – to be eligible to participate in the federal student loan forgiveness program for public servants. In Illinois, more than half of all faculty at public and non-profit colleges and universities work on a part-time basis, which often makes them ineligible for most benefits, including participation in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
    ................
    The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is designed to encourage graduates to seek careers in public service by offering student loan forgiveness for eligible federal loans after making 120 qualifying payments while working in government service or the non-profit sector. Graduates with jobs in fields like nursing, military service, and public health qualify for the program. Although many educators may also qualify – including full-time faculty at public universities and some part-time faculty at community colleges – other faculty members who only work part-time are not eligible for the program.
    ..............
    (click link for full article)
    Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science. -C. Darwin

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