Got a suspicious email about student loans? Here’s how to spot a scam

SAN ANTONIO – There have been a lot of changes when it comes to federal student loans, and scammers are working to trick people amid the confusion to get money or information.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona sent an email last month from the email address noreply@studentaid.gov to give people important details about the options they have for loan forgiveness after a federal appeals court struck down the remaining parts of the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, which offered borrowers lower monthly payments and an end to interest growth.

Cadona’s email is legitimate, but scammers may try to get to your inbox using emails that look similar.

The Federal Trade Commission said the following emails are the only legitimate emails from the Department of Education:

• noreply@studentaid.gov

• noreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov

• ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com

The FTC said scammers may try to camouflage their emails by changing letters to look like numbers, such as changing the letter “O” to look like the number “0.”

If you aren’t sure, you can always call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 to confirm that the email you received is really from the Education Department.

Here are some other things to look out for in emails:

• Scammers will attempt to get your Federal Student Aid account credentials, so do not share your account information.

If you see anything that resembles a scam, report it to the FTC here.