--- title: How to Avoid Being Duped by the Student Loan Scam description: Student loan scams have been around for several years, but our data shows that they have become significantly more prevalent in recent months. In the past quarter, the number of scam calls and text messages reported by Hiya users doubled compared to the first quarter of 2016. image: https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Student-Loan-Scam_Hero-620x420-1.jpg --- [![Hiya logo](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-new-purple.svg)](https://www.hiya.com/) Solutions Solutions [For Mobile Operators Protect your network](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/operators) [For Businesses Brand your calls](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/businesses) [For People Get the mobile app](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blocker) ###### Webinar Branded Calling 101 Weekly Webinar Make your company's calls more recognizable. Learn how Hiya can drive value for your business. 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[Read eBook Arrow Right](https://www.hiya.com/resources/ebooks/10-tips-for-customer-friendly-phone-calls) [Get Started Arrow Right](https://www.hiya.com/#audience) [Log in](https://connect.hiya.com/login) [Get started](https://www.hiya.com/#audience) - [Home](https://hiya.com) - [Blog](https://blog.hiya.com) - [How to Avoid Being Duped by the Student Loan Scam](https://blog.hiya.com/avoid-duped-student-loan-scam/) # How to Avoid Being Duped by the Student Loan Scam [Hiya Team](https://blog.hiya.com/author/hiya-team) Sep. 20, 2020 [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/icon-fb.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://blog.hiya.com/avoid-duped-student-loan-scam/) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/icon-x.svg)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.hiya.com/avoid-duped-student-loan-scam/&text=How+to+Avoid+Being+Duped+by+the+Student+Loan+Scam) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/icon-linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.hiya.com/avoid-duped-student-loan-scam/) ## At a glance ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Student-Loan-Scam_Hero-620x420-1.jpg) For many current and former students, taking out a loan is the only way to pay for an education. According to the [U.S. Department of Education](https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/data-center/student/portfolio), one out of every eight Americans have outstanding federal loans that total to 1.2 trillion dollars. As many struggle to pay off their loans, debt relief scams pose themselves as an easy way out. Student loan scams have been around for several years, but our data shows that they have become significantly more prevalent in recent months. In the past quarter, the number of scam calls and text messages reported by Hiya users doubled compared to the first quarter of 2016. Hiya’s Data and Reputation Services team took a closer look at where these scam calls are coming from: **Top Ten Area Codes Associated with Student Loan Scams:** 1. 214 (Dallas, TX) 2. 267 (Philadelphia, PA) 3. 718 (New York City) 4. 319 (Southeastern Iowa) 5. 347 (New York City) 6. 301 (Greater Washington D.C.) 7. 405 (Oklahoma City, OK) 8. 419 (Northwest Ohio) 9. 432 (Western Texas) 10. 772 (Treasure Coast, FL) **Five Signs of a Student Loan Scam:** 1. The caller may pretend to be affiliated with the federal government, e.g. the National Student Aid Center or the U.S. Department of Education 2. They claim that your student loans have been flagged or pre-approved for refinancing 3. They may ask about the amount of student loans you have 4. They offer to lower the interest rate on your loan through Obama’s Loan Forgiveness Program or Debt Relief Program 5. They will ask for sensitive information like your credit card information, social security number or Federal Student Aid ID The agencies behind these scams charge huge fees and lie about the benefits of their services. The [U.S. Department of Education](https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans) however, affirms that you never have to pay to get help managing your student debt and offers free assistance on their website. **How You Can Protect Yourself from Scammers** An effective way to protect yourself from student loan scams and other fraudulent calls is by downloading the Hiya app. Hiya identifies incoming calls and warns you of suspected scam and spam so you know when not to pick up the phone. If a scammer does get through to you, hang up immediately and never give out any personal information. You can also help others in our community by reporting that number through the app.   [![banner-hiya-reg](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/banner-hiya-reg.jpg)](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) ### Latest Articles ⚡️ - Spain’s 400-prefix law will make it harder to reach customers Mariano González-Cayuela Sep. 24, 2026 - German businesses lose €43,000/yr because they can’t reach their customers Michael Berger Sep. 22, 2026 - Businesses in Spain are having a tough time connecting with their customers Mariano González-Cayuela Sep. 16, 2026 ## Related articles ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/SotC2026-Germany%20Focus-1.webp) ## [German businesses lose €43,000/yr because they can’t reach their customers](https://blog.hiya.com/german-businesses-lose-because-they-cant-reach-their-customers?hsLang=en) Michael Berger Sep. 22, 2026 ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/SotC2026-Spain%20Focus.webp) ## [Businesses in Spain are having a tough time connecting with their customers](https://blog.hiya.com/sotc-2026-spain?hsLang=en) Mariano González-Cayuela Sep. 16, 2026 ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Product%20update%20tag%20-%20Blog%20Post%20Image%20%20(1300x730)%20-%20Feature@2x.jpg) ## [Add Tags to phone numbers to see performance by campaign, region, agent ...](https://blog.hiya.com/add-tags-to-phone-numbers-to-see-performance?hsLang=en) Alia Logan Sep. 9, 2026 [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-new-purple.svg)](https://www.hiya.com/) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/linkedin-1.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/hiyainc) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/facebook-1.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/hiyainc/) ###### Products - Connect - [Number Registration](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) - [Branded Call](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/branded-call) - [View Plans](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/pricing) - Protect - [Spam Analytics](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/spam-analytics) - [AI Voice Detection](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/ai-voice-detection) - Apps - [Hiya Spam Blocker](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blocker) - [Hiya AI Phone](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-ai-phone) ###### Solutions - Company size - [Enterprise](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/enterprise) - [Call Centers](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/call-center) - [Small and Medium](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/businesses) - Service providers - [Operators](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/operators) - [OEMs and technology](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/technology-partners) ###### Considering Hiya? - [Why Hiya](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya) - [How it Works](https://www.hiya.com/how-it-works) - [Customer Stories](https://www.hiya.com/case-studies) - [Voice Intelligence Platform](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/voice-intelligence-platform) - [Trust Center](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/trust-center) - [Modern Slavery](https://www.hiya.com/company/modern-slavery) - [About Hiya](https://www.hiya.com/company/about) - [Careers: We're hiring!](https://www.hiya.com/company/careers) - [Contact us](https://www.hiya.com/contact-us) ###### Resources - [Resource Center](https://www.hiya.com/resources) - [Partner Program](https://partners.hiya.com/) - [Get Support](https://hiya.com/support) - [Developer Docs](https://developer.hiya.com/) - [Hiya Blog](https://hiya.com/blog) - [Events](https://www.hiya.com/events) - [Press Kit](https://www.hiya.com/newsroom#press-kit) ![ANAB](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-anab.svg) ![ISO 27001](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-iso27017.png) ![AICPA](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-aicpa.svg) ![IAF](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-iaf.svg) [Privacy Policy](https://www.hiya.com/legal/privacy) [Terms of Service](https://www.hiya.com/legal/terms-of-service) [App Data Privacy Policy](https://www.hiya.com/legal/app-data-protection-and-privacy-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Hiya Team", "url" : "https://blog.hiya.com/author/hiya-team" }, "dateModified" : "2020-09-29T23:43:18.597Z", "datePublished" : "2020-09-20T21:27:23.000Z", "headline" : "How to Avoid Being Duped by the Student Loan Scam", "image" : [ "https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Student-Loan-Scam_Hero-620x420-1.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.hiya.com/avoid-duped-student-loan-scam/", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-logo-3.svg" }, "name" : "Hiya Inc." } } ```