Scams lurk in ads on Google searches for US student loan relief


TTP found that Alphabet Inc’s Google showed ads for services that charge ‘questionable fees’, imitate government agencies and request personal data from users for ‘unclear purposes’. — AFP Relaxnews

Searching Google for information about US student loan forgiveness surfaces advertisements that either appear to violate content policies or lead people to scams, according to a watchdog group, increasing public confusion as the Joe Biden administration mulls actions on student debt.

The Tech Transparency Project, a research arm of the nonprofit Campaign for Accountability, reviewed top searches related to student loans, such as “student loan forgiveness” and “cancel student debt”, to track the ads Google serves up. Of the 242 ads the group reviewed, TTP determined that 29 breached Google’s policies or displayed “scam characteristics”, representing almost 12% of the total.

The Star Christmas Special Promo: Save 35% OFF Yearly. T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 8.02/month

Billed as RM 96.20 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Tech News

Exclusive-Google works to erode Nvidia's software advantage with Meta's help
Brazil to get satellite internet from Chinese rival to Starlink in 2026
US gaming platform Roblox pledges changes to get Russian ban lifted
Oracle's $10 billion Michigan data center in limbo after Blue Owl funding talks stall, FT reports
Coursera to buy Udemy, creating $2.5 billion firm to target AI training
Factbox-By the numbers: How the Netflix and Paramount bids for Warner Bros stack up
Warner Bros Discovery board rejects rival bid from Paramount
Analysis-Qatar bets on cheap power to catch up in Gulf AI race
Analysis-Crypto investors show caution, shift to new strategies after crash
OpenAI’s ChatGPT updated to�make images better and faster

Others Also Read