The Turnbull government is considering waiving the debts of former students who were conned by dodgy private colleges during one of the country's biggest education rorts.

Eighteen months after scrapping the botched vocational loan scheme known as VET FEE-HELP, the Coalition is working on measures to wipe the debts of those who had loans issued without their knowledge when they enrolled in a course.

Careers Australia was one of the most aggressive recruiters of VET students. Credit:Eddie Jim

The move comes after Fairfax Media revealed that the federal Student Loans Ombudsman had received more than 5000 complaints in nine months from former students claiming they had been ripped off by dodgy providers or substandard training.

The highest proportion of complaints came from people who say they were never told they would incur a debt if they signed up to a course, or who only discovered once they lodged their tax return that a VET FEE-HELP study loan had been taken out in their name without their consent.