<prompt> Human: Hi all --First time Redditor here needing some advice.Basically the info is in the title: long ago, my wife co-signed a student loan 11k for a family member who needed help with community college. The family member has since dropped out and refuses to pay the payments. My wife has started paying the payments to protect herour credit but were wondering if anyone has any experience or recourse for this situation.We understand that my wife did a stupid thing. She regrets it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!UPDATE: Thanks everyone for the advice. We are going to pay off the loan and be done with it. We are hoping to draw up a contract of some kind and get the family member to sign it, saying she now owes my wife the money. That way we have some sort of legal recourse. Though we are assuming we will never see the money again. Cheers for the help!Assistant: Does this family member refuse to make payments, or are they unable to afford them? The lender is always going to go after the borrower first. With some student loans, the borrowers wages can be garnished. So look into that aspect of it.If they plain-old cant make payments, wait until the lender contacts your wife. Then, you ought to make payments.You dont really have any recourse if the borrower is unable to pay, doesnt have a job. Cosigning is basically saying if this guy is unable to pay, Ill pay for them.Human: Well, the family member says shes unable to afford them, but then posts photos on Facebook of trips to Europe. So yeah, its frustrating.The family member recently quit her steady job to pick up three other jobs, but that has yet to pan out.What do you mean by the borrowers wages can be garnished? I dont think the family member has been contacted because the lender always seems to call my wife when it comes time to pay which she does do to protect her credit.  <response>: Say nothing over the phone. Tell them to send you mail and you will not discuss this debt over the phone.They are fishing for payments. They know what recourse they can take. 