Illinois Crackdown on Companies Targeting People Struggling to Repay Student Loans Continues

Student Lending

On May 4, Illinois AG Lisa Madigan’s office announced that it filed five lawsuits against companies that allegedly scammed borrowers into paying hundreds to thousands of dollars in upfront fees with the false hope that they would be paying off student loan debt or have the debt forgiven entirely. The lawsuits allege that the companies violated the 2010 Illinois Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act, which bans companies from charging upfront fees for services that claim to settle debt. According to the lawsuits’ allegations, the companies falsely advertised that they could stop wage garnishments, reduce monthly payments, and remove default statuses. In addition to the allegations under the Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act, the companies are being charged with violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, and the Credit Services Organizations Act. The May 4 lawsuits follow the Illinois AG office’s July 2014 suits against two companies for violations of the same three acts.