TOLEDO, Ohio — A local student is warning people about student-loan scammers after handing over some personal information during a call she thought was legitimate.
Charnise Smith is a former cosmetology student at Paul Mitchell in Toledo.
While taking a break from school she decided to call the loan servicer, Navient, to look into a payment plan. The call raised several red flags.
"When I called there was a guy who answered who said his name was 'Roger' and he was telling me there's another plan that you can get into," Smith said.
That plan involved handing over $400, debit card information and a Social Security number.
After Smith provided that personal information, "Roger" hung up. Charnise said she then called Navient back, asking for Roger and was told no one worked there by that name.
The Better Business Bureau confirmed Navient is a real loan servicer but is not a stranger to legal complaints.
"What concerns me about this phone call that this consumer had is that this person claimed to be with Navient but wanted money," Dick Eppstein of the Better Business Bureau said.
After doing some research, we found a stipulation that says no one should be charged money while setting up loan payment options.
The BBB says the safest way to get contact information for your loan servicer is to go straight to your university's student loan officer.
If you have found yourself in a similar situation as Smith, the BBB suggests canceling your debit and credit cards immediately and contacting your university, which is something she's already done.
"I just canceled everything so they can't take out anything, and I'm reaching out to the social security today," Smith said.
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