Who is Jack Teixeira, the Pentagon Documents Leaker?

If you receive something in the mail from Great Lakes and do not recognize the name, you may wonder if this is true. This is a reasonable thing to wonder. Chances are, if you have student loans, you will get lots of suspicious offers in the mail.

What are the Great Lakes and what is the reformer of loans?

Great Lakes is a loan service and one of the largest guarantors and loan providers in the United States, with more than 9 million borrowers. Recently acquired by NelNet.

Loan providers act as intermediaries between borrowers and lenders. Where the lender wrote the check for your loan, the supervisor manages your account. Things they do include:

1. Collect your regular student loan payments and track your payment history.
2. Help you move to a revenue-paid payment plan.
3. Assistance in loan and payment exemption programs.
4. Facilitate the transition from patience or delay.

When your federal loan is issued, you are assigned to a loan. It is not uncommon for people to make sure who is the owner of their loan service - even if they have thousands of dollars in student loans.

How can I tell if Great Lakes is my loan service?

If you are unsure of your loan provider, try the NSLDS. You can get information about all of your federal loans through this website. You can also find out who serves your loan by visiting My Federal Student Aid and logging in.

You will need some information to track your loans on these sites, including your identity information and Federal Aid ID number (FSA).

How to avoid student loan scams

Now, about those other suspicious messages you get regularly.

Some companies will do anything to get your money - including offering things you can do on your own (like paying for a payout) or making strange promises to get rid of students' student loans if you pay them.

If you're not sure whether the mail you received is a scam, here are some questions to ask.

Do they want your money?

Are they asking for a request fee to consolidate your loans, or a monthly payment to get your loans forgiven? Stop there.

Do they offer to do things you can do yourself?

Such as refinancing or consolidating your loan, or applying for an income-based payment? Jog on.

Do they make unrealistic promises? 

For example, do they tell you that they can get your loans? The federal government has some student loan exemption programs, but they all have very strict qualification requirements and can take decades.

Do they want your personal information? 

Such as your account number, FSA number, or even an official power of attorney? Your legitimate loan service is already available for all the information they need - fraudsters do not give your information.

If Great Lakes is your loan server, you can find out quickly by searching or contacting your Federal Student Aid or NSLDS database. Knowing your loan service provider will help you know which mail will be opened - and which ones will be discarded.

How can I communicate with Great Lakes?

You can communicate with Great Lakes in several ways:

• great lakes student loans phone number 800-236-4300.
• fax  800-375-5288.
• by mail, at this address: Great Lakes, PO Box 7860, Madison, WI 53707-7860.
• or by website.