Fake Josh Allen Story Claims He Paid Off Entire University of Wyoming Class of 2018’s Student Loans

A viral claim suggesting that Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen paid off the student loan debt of the entire University of Wyoming Class of 2018 has been making waves online. There's only one problem: there's no truth to it.

The rumor first surfaced over the last week on fan pages and unverified sources on platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).

One post from a page called The Bills Superfan garnered over 10,000 likes, claiming, “Josh Allen quietly pays off student loan debt for entire University of Wyoming Class of 2018. No cameras. No press run. Just impact — giving dozens of young graduates a debt-free start.”

Multiple versions of the story included links to obscure blog sites such as fanhub.cafex.biz and other WordPress-hosted pages, which offered no credible sources, quotes, or confirmation.

However, a review of trusted news sources and official outlets has found no evidence to support the claim. Searches across Google, Yahoo, Bing, and DuckDuckGo yielded no articles from legitimate media organizations covering the story.

No press release and/or statement from the University of Wyoming, the Bills organization, any individual in that graduating class, or Allen himself has been issued.

Our fact-check has identified the story as a work of fiction. The post appears to be part of a common trend where made-up inspirational tales about celebrities doing good deeds are created to drive traffic to ad-heavy websites.

That said, Allen does have a track record of philanthropy, just not quite on the scale described in the hoax. In 2022, The Fresno Bee reported that Allen teamed up with ForgiveCo - a public benefit company that purchases and forgives consumer debt - helping individuals free themselves from financial burdens.

This real-life partnership was more limited in scope and did not involve wiping out an entire graduating class's student loans.

Despite its feel-good appeal, the story about Allen's mass loan forgiveness is a prime example of viral misinformation.

Fake Josh Allen Story Claims He Paid Off Entire University of Wyoming Class of 2018’s Student Loans