Who Called Us

Direct Loan Servicing Centers
The Direct Loan Servicing Centers maintain records of individual
borrower accounts and payments made on those accounts. Borrowers
may also obtain information on deferment and repayment options. The
address and appropriate telephone numbers of the borrower�s servicing
center will be printed on that borrower�s loan documentation.
Direct Loan Servicing Center (Utica, New York)
Borrower Services ....................................................... 1-800-848-0979
Delinquent Accounts/Collections Department ...... 1-800-848-0981
School Relations2 ....................................................................................................1-888-877-7658
FAX................................................................................ 1-800-848-0983
TDD ............................................................................... 1-800-848-0984
www2.ed.gov

THEY ASK FOR SSN TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE TALKING TO YOU AND NOT A WRONG PERSON.

Got a call today and then returned the call #1-800-848-0981. Yes, the first thing asked was my SS and I did not give that out. This is a scam and they are hopping that some fool will give them their SS. They have a way
for the reveiver of their calls to see the above number, yet the origin is hidden to those reeiving the calls. The best thing to do is to not even answer any calls unless you reconize the caller's # aand delete those unwanted calls.

This is a scam.
I don't have any student loans out, AND the call was made to my new cell phone, before I had given the number out.

Asked for my SS number right away. I said absolutely not and asked why I kept getting calls. Asked if anyone in my family had a student loan, I said no. Gave her the phone number that was being called and stated that it is on the "do not call" list. She said "Have a good day" and hung up.

www2.ed.gov

Delinquent Accounts/Collections Department ...... 1-800-848-0981

Do not money to buy a building? You not have to worry, because this is real to receive the mortgage loans to work out such problems. So take a car loan to buy all you require.

It's good to know that I'm not the only one who has been receiving the call. I called DOE and they said they never calls individual student/loaner. I never applied for a loan, too. So it's not legit. They must be calling people randomly.

If this was a ligit operation they wouldnt just leave a message on a random phone leaving no information on who they were looking for and who should call them back. They only need to speak with the so called student not disrupt other peoples lives, and playing a recording to get random people to call them back and then have the nerve to ask them personal questions I would call that not legit!

I work for the direct loan origination program and that is the servicing department that calls. if you get late on a payment a autorecording calls. the servicing number is also 1-800-848-0979 and website is dl.ed.gov I believe they ask for the social because they have to verify who they are talking to before they can release any information on your account. That is the same reason why we ask for a social when people call here. That is the only way to look up their account. It is a requirement to provide your social in order to be eligable for any title IV student aid (grants and loans)

I looked this number up as I was on the call with the gentleman asking me personal questions to be safe and became concerned when I saw several negative comments. So I hung up and directly called Direct Student Serving center and tried to verify the message and phone call. I explained the situation and the lady confirmed that they had indeed reached out to me regarding my delinquent loan. The first call did feel fishy but I am now confident that it was a legit call. Both DRS center number and this "mysterious" number both begin with 1-800-848-_______. This is legit.

If you think this is the Government calling, it is NOT. It is a collection agency mis-representing themselves as the government.
If they KNOW your PHONE # - ask them what YOUR name is - they don't know...

this is NOT legit.

Totally LEGIT!!! Believe it or not the U.S. Federal Government will hire someone to collect on Federal Student Loans. Listen people. Direct Loans is a legitmate company. They are the company that handles all the collection services for U.S. student FEDERAL LOANS. Any site with the ed.gov in its url is LEGIT. Actually almost any URL that ends with .gov is legit because only Governments of Nations can hand out those domains. It's a long process and a lot paperwork just to get one. I doubt a scammer will go through all that trouble just to get your SSN. there are easier ways...If they are contacting you it's because your are somehow associated with someone who has or is trying to get a Federal Loan for school in the USA. Or they made a mistake. People do make mistakes....even the FEDS**. Check the legit sites below for more info.

finaid.org-----1-800-848-0981 is actually under Direct Lending as a collections number
dl.ed.gov
www2.ed.gov
fafsa.ed.gov

My roommate, who does have student loans and routinely receives mail from DirectLoans, got a call from "Misty" from this number tonight. It sounded fair from the description, they did -not- ask for a SSN up front, but I want for us to see the forms they mail and get a background check before sending them any $.

This call said a person (my son) had listed me as a reference and they needed his current address. They kept calling him by the wrong name, then would change back in the next sentence. They seemed to know that he was at a new school (named it) but yet they didn't know where he was? It was all a little suspicious, and very unprofessional sounding. And why make the number "unavailable" on caller ID? All that, plus the fact that he has gotten mail from Direct Loans at his current address make this seem like a scam. They are not getting any information from me by phone. If they are legit, they will try mail as well. As he is currently a full time student, he is not owing them $$ right now anyway.

I have yet to actually speak with anyone but they have called my house several times as well and have left automated messages. I do have student loans but not late nor have I ever been late. I don't trust it so I will not be calling back.

its a scam, i dont even have a loan and i m an international student!!! beware people!!!

i got two calls today during class saying they had important information about my acedemic record. i ignored them but they called me and left a message.

This is a scam

I received numerous calls and finally called them back and they immediately asked for my SS number which I refused to give. I told her I was a senior citizen and she then wanted to know about my school loan. When I advised her I graduated in the late 40's then she wanted to know if I co-signed for a loan. I finally got her to remove my phone number from their records. They obviously have no idea who they are calling.

This does not appear legitimate, despite the few comments below. I've received several of these calls, but I don't have any student loans. Further, any service that wants an SSN before even getting your name is phishing.

Several things about this call. They call regarding my "student records", yet the website they tell you to go to has to do with loans. I am not even old enough to have a student loan, my mobile phone is unregistered anyway. How did they find out who I was? they didn't. It is easily possible to spoof the outbound number so that it looks exactly like the US Department of Education. They ask you to go to dl.ed.gov, normally "dl" is a subdomain for a domain (eg "ed.gov"). In this case, the actual website is dl.ed.gov, which is a malformed URL. I don't know how it actually pulls up a website, but the server cannot be tracked/pinged/or looked up via WhoIS. I'm not about to call that number back, I don't trust it. And if this is a scam, it is truly ingenious as far as the website goes. Its a pity some people spend their time coming up with such things

Wanted to speak to wife,told them she was not at home. Speaker left callback number then she starte asking what was my relation and if this was her current phone Number and what was her address.Told her it was the same as she had in her files.I think this is just some company looking to refinance her student loan. Why would dept.of education show up as unknown on your phone??

ifap.ed.gov

Lady at the other end of the call was phishing for information.

This is legit, whenever I'm late on my Ford Direct Student Loans (ed.gov) this is who calls. It's usually just a recording, when you get really behind it's a person.

We have had 3 calls from this number. Two times they hung up. This last time the woman asked for a BS name.
Student loan? I don't think so, we're retired....

This is the place to go for reporting scams like this: ftc.gov

Since these people are passing themselves off as a US government agency, I imagine the FTC would be especially interested in shutting them down.

The call-back number was 1-800-848-0981. Don't know what the originating number was.

"United States Department of Education Direct Loan Servicing Center" blah blah number to call, phoney Web site address, hours of operation. They end saying they have "some important information regarding your student records." Bogus. The woman's voice has a distinctly north-midwestern accent.

Let it go to voicemail, it was an "urgent call" about student loan blah blah blah.
Kenz I can't believe you gave them your info, NEVER, NEVER, EVER give your info to anyone who calls you.

I've been receiving these calls constently. I finally called back 1-800-848-0981 and the first thing the lady asked for was my SSN. I asked why and she said "It's required as part of the process". THIS IS MOST DEFINATELY A SCAM AND UNFORTUNATELY, A NUMBER OF PEOPLE MUST BE PROVIDING THEIR SSN, OR THEY WOULD NOT KEEP CALLING.

the 1800-848-0981 is a legit number for direct loans. I received a call from that number today asking to call them back and I did give out my information to them and they told me to disregard the call. I was really worried that it was a scam and I gave out everything so I decided to look off my monthy bill and I called the number on it and they said that the number that called me was legit and it was a 24 hour direct loans number. They said that if you are under someones contact information that does have loan through them, that they might call you to reach them.

Recorded message to call back the 800 number.

I spoke with one of the higher-ups at the Dept of Education last night (1/13/09).

She told me they don't make outbound calls. I've reported the matter to the FBI.

My considered opinion is that the callers are criminal idiots from hell.

Called asking for someone who's name is similar to mine (must be guessing from my first initial). Said that I was listed as a reference on someone's college application. I have never heard of the person they mentioned (something, Cunningham). They also said that they didn't have this person's phone number on file and that is why they were calling me. They asked me to please call them back EVEN if I did not know the person referenced in the call, so they could "correct our records". The person calling did not sound professional in the least. Funny, I recieved a similar call a few months ago saying I was a reference for a completely different person (never heard of them either). Sounds like a scam.....

check this out

directconsolidationloan.wordpress.com

caller ID says Direct Loans. I don't have any outstanding loans of any kind. sounds like a scam

I recieved a message at work. I never gave my new work number out to my Student loan company. And my Loan is not through the US Dept. of Edu. This has to be a scam.

A legitimate call about student loan. This is a part of the Department of Education.

Called @ 11:51am on 5/3 - left no msg.

This was a legitimate call from Direct Loans in reference to my student loan. Didn't have anything to do with collections,

I initially got the call from this # with an automated message claiming to be the US Department of Education with important information. They told me to call back-- at the same #-- or visit a website. I called back after they had called for a second time, and before even asking for my name, "Steve" asked for my social security number. I have never had a student loan-- or any other loans, for that matter. This is a total scam.

This is a legitimate call from the Dept. Of Ed's Direct Loan Servicing Center. If you don't have a Direct Student Loan, then they may have gotten your number from a borrower who put you down as a reference.

leave message for me to return call. I've never had a student loan and don't have any debt collectors after me. sounds like a scam

This was a legit call about a student loan.

They claim to be the U.S. Department of Education, but this seems like an identity theft ring to me -- they ask for a Social Security number before they even know your name. I've never had a student loan either, there's no reason to be on their list, but they call every day and refuse to take me off.

I seem to get a lot of these. CID says "TOLL FREE CALL", and when I answer, there is nothing but dead air. I say "hello" 2 or 3 times, then hang up. They call almost every day. I want to know who it is so I can get them to stop calling!

Never Help a Debt
Collector Rob You!

asked for social security number in relation to person on student loan

Direct Loan Servicing Center

Direct Loan Servicing Center (Collections)