Dear IntelliTec Student:
We are writing to inform you that our current and former students (and even their families) recently have been targets of online and telephone advertising programs that purport to offer student loan repayment assistance and/or debt forgiveness. You may have seen such advertisements on Facebook or on the Internet. Many of these advertisements prominently use IntelliTec’s name and photographs of IntelliTec’s campuses in their ads.
Please be aware that IntelliTec College is not affiliated or involved in any way with any such loan repayment or debt forgiveness offers, nor does IntelliTec College endorse or approve any of these entities.
None of the companies and offers are legitimate. There have been many reports in the last few years of scams in the student loan industry whereby companies charge significant fees (often hidden or undisclosed) for performing tasks that can be done easily or for free without the need for assistance. In worse cases, the people behind the scams are actually just out to obtain social security number and other private personal and financial information.
These “offers” are not just targeting IntelliTec students, but are targeting students from colleges and universities around the country. We are actively taking steps to stop these companies from targeting our students and alumni, including reporting these scams to the appropriate federal and state agencies.
Please always exercise care and caution when receiving or responding to any inquiries or offers concerning student loans or debt consolidation or forgiveness.
WHERE STUDENTS CAN GO FOR INFORMATION ABOUT STUDENT LOANS
- All currently enrolled students should contact one of our Financial Services Representatives at their campus with any questions regarding their student loans
- Former IntelliTec students should contact IntelliTec Colleges loan repayment advisor, Evelyn Mestas at emestas@intellitec.edu or 719-632-7626.
Evelyn can quickly identify a student’s current loan circumstances and steer you
towards the appropriate official entity for further assistance.
- All students can find information about their existing loans, by contacting their loan servicer (official entity hired by the Department of Education to service federal loans). The Department has currently 11 loan servicers. If a student is not sure who their loan servicer is, they can find that information nslds.ed.gov
- For additional federal student-loan repayment resources, visit: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment
HOW TO AVOID BECOMING THE VICTIM OF A SCAM
Scammers are constantly changing their scams, and sometimes it can be very hard to tell a scam from a legitimate offer. These guidelines may be helpful you. Before giving out your personal or financial information:
- Treat all solicitations for debt relief or loan consolidation services as suspect until you can be sure they are legitimate.
- Ask for the company’s physical address, direct phone number, and website. Check to make sure they exist and appear legitimate.
- Check out the company’s listing with the Better Business Bureau bbb.org to see if they have a record of complaints or if they are registered at all.
- For debt management providers, see if they are registered with Colorado Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section, and consider any disciplinary history in the list posted at coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/dm/consumer
- NEVER give out usernames or passwords.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE BEEN THE TARGET OF A SCAM
If you already have been the target of a scam, in addition to any money you may have lost, you might be at risk for identity theft. You may want to consider doing the following:
- Review your credit reports from all three credit reporting bureaus for fraudulent activity. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report each year from AnnualCreditReport.com
- Place a fraud alert with each of the major credit reporting bureaus, Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Get more information at consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0275-place-fraud-alert
- Report the scam to the Federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov
- Report the scam to your attorney general’s office. Colorado residents may do so at stopfraudcolorado.gov