Almost as soon as federal student loan debt relief was announced, the scams have started.  New York State officials are warning consumers that criminals are using the debt relief plan to steal money and personal information by impersonating government agencies promising immediate loan relief.

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Word of the scams also comes on the heels of New York Governor Kathy Hochul signing legislation to simplify access to the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program statewide which forgives a portion of outstanding student loan debt for people who are full-time employees in public service organizations.

Officials say those looking to take advantage of student loan forgiveness should only go to “dot-gov” websites when seeking assistance.

The U.S. Department of Education has launched a webpage to provide borrowers with a one-stop location for accurate information about the federal Student Loan Forgiveness program.

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Other ways to safe-guard against scams include: never trust any person or program who promises early access or guaranteed eligibility.  The loan forgiveness application is to launch in early October.  Officials say there is no such thing as early access and borrowers should remember, they never have to pay for help with their federal student aid.

As with any unsolicited contact via email or phone, you should never share your personal information, Federal Student Aid ID or social security number to anyone.  No one from the Department of Education will be calling or texting about the program. Real emails to borrowers will only come from "noreply@studentaid.gov."

If you encounter a scan report it to the Federal Student Aid website or the Federal Trade Commission.

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