Consumer complaint received 2023-05-09
Company: American Student Assistance
State: MA
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Private student loan
Issue: Getting a loan
Sub-issue: Fraudulent loan

Complaint:
First, I do not know what education program I am purported to have completed. I thought I had passed the XXXX in XXXX but learned in XXXX that I could not have because XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) in XXXX, Massachusetts only administered four of the five mandatory sections of the exam to me and told me I passed based on my cumulative score of the four sections exceeded the total score needed to pass. This was a false statement. In XX/XX/XXXX XXXX sent me a copy of my official transcript through the U.S. Mail which falsely reports that I completed a one year technical writing certificate program in XX/XX/XXXX. In XXXX I applied to XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX  ' Degree program in Business Administration and XXXX represented to me that I had been admitted. I justifiably relied upon XXXX 's representations and attended full-time from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. I attended part-time evenings from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX and dropped the two classes I had planned to take in XXXX because I was pregnant with my XXXX child who was due to be born and was born in XX/XX/XXXX. I did not return to XXXX until XX/XX/XXXX where I attended part-time evenings through XX/XX/XXXX. In XX/XX/XXXX I was laid off from my job and because XXXX represented to me that my only outstanding requirements to complete the XXXX  ' degree was 13 classes which I could complete within one year, I paid for and completed 13 classes during the year XXXX and XXXX mailed me an " Official Academic Record '' through the U.S. Mail on XX/XX/XXXX which states that I completed a degree in XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX of Science in Business Administration. On XX/XX/XXXX I visited the federal student aid website www.nslds.ed.gov for the first time and discovered XXXX reported me to have been 'WITHDRAWN '' effective XX/XX/XXXX. I contacted XXXX by mail in XX/XX/XXXX to request they correct the FSA record. XXXX relayed to me that they do not consider the FSA record to be incorrect. I also saw federal student loans and grants that were reported in my name that I did not knowingly apply for or consent to. In XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX contacted me about beginning repayment of my student loans which were purported to have been federal student loans. XXXX offered to consolidate the federal student loans and sent me a document through the U.S. Mail which has the logo XXXX at the top which stands for XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. They had completed the document for me and provided me with a self-addressed stamped envelope to return it to XXXX. I signed and returned it to XXXX. Because XXXX used their discretion in selecting which purported federal student loan they offered me, and never provided me with an original nor copy of any document until I complained to the CFPB on XX/XX/XXXX, I had no way of knowing that the loans purportedly being consolidated were not the same loans XXXX ( and XXXX ) had me sign for previously ( {$1200.00} in XX/XX/XXXX, {$10000.00} in XX/XX/XXXX and {$1500.00} in XX/XX/XXXX ). They essentially had me agree to consolidate loans I never received, one of which is a directed Federal Loan I did not need and another appears to be a private student loan with XXXX ( now XXXX ), neither of which I needed nor received. Evidently I am a victim of a bait and switch in education and in education funding. It also appears that the fictitious student loans have something to do with XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX according to certain tax documents I received. It also appears that I was a victim of a false employment scam which was advertised to be an inside sales position in the " financial services industry '' by XXXX XXXX on XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX which I mistakenly applied for because they claimed there was no prior work experience needed and no minimum education requirements were disclosed. In fact they claimed to provide all necessary training on the job. XXXX XXXX did not disclose that it was a registered investment adviser with the SEC, did not disclose it was a voluntary association nor did it disclose it was a business trust. I mistakenly provided my social security number and authorized a background check under the false pretenses of employment. At no time did XXXX XXXX disclose they were providing a proprietary education program. It appears from the records that there was some collusion between XXXX and XXXX XXXX because XXXX falsely reports on the academic record that I was retroactively transferred to " days '' during the fall semester to be effective XX/XX/XXXX, however I had no knowledge of this and did not consent to it. Finally, the fact that XXXX refuses to provide me with any record of my admissions which I requested multiple times between XXXX and XXXX tends to show there was no admission whatsoever because I was not eligible because I did not complete the XXXX which they knew or should have known. Finally, this fraudulent scheme has left me without any valid higher education and without the ability to earn any wages or income because their actions prevent me from being able to complete a valid resume or apply for employment since they terminated me from this fictitious employment in XXXX under false pretenses which I could not have known at that time. As a result of their actions, I was evicted from my home, my car was repossessed, my reputation has been harmed and I have no way of supporting myself financially. This is the condensed version of harm. Also the purported federal consolidation loan ( XXXX ) shows they checked boxes for blank spaces which leads me to think they added even more fictitious loans to the form after I stupidly signed it and returned to XXXX through the US Mail. I trusted XXXX because they are in fact the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and I never thought the state would intentionally defraud me.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation