210-520-1454 is a phone number used by Chase Bank to contact consumers about outstanding balances the bank believes it is owed. If you're getting calls from 210-520-1454, it means Chase thinks you have an unpaid credit card balance, mortgage, car loan, or other debt in your name.
The calls are coming from a Chase collections facility in San Antonio, Texas. (Chase employs some 5,000 people in its San Antonio collections operation.) These calls aren't coming from some fly-by-night debt collection agency. This is Chase, which is a subsidiary of the largest bank in the country. It has virtually unlimited resources to pursue debtors. But, as we will explain in this article, just because Chase has the resources to pursue you, that doesn't mean it has the right to collect.
Company Information
Company Name: JPMorgan Chase & Co.
What is this company? First-party creditor
Parent company: JPMorgan Chase & Co., New York, NY
What industry? Credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, consumer banking
Size: Publicly traded, approximately 317,000 employees, $4.4 trillion in total assets
Location: National, with 4,800+ branches across all 48 contiguous states and D.C.
BBB rating: A- (not BBB accredited)
Known collection phone number: 210-520-1454 (San Antonio, TX operations center)
Is this the first time we've seen Chase behave this way?
Probably not. In 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) along with 47 state attorneys general ordered Chase to pay more than $216 million in penalties and restitution for its illegal debt collection practices. The bank was caught robo-signing affidavits for debt collection lawsuits and selling debts to third-party buyers that were inaccurate or already settled. Chase has also settled at least four class-action lawsuits brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) for placing unauthorized robocalls to consumers' cell phones. Those settlements cost Chase more than $47 million.
Why is Chase Bank calling me?
Do you really owe this debt?
This is the first question you need to ask yourself. It's possible that Chase is calling about a legitimate debt that you owe, but it's also possible that the bank is calling to collect a debt that you've already paid, or one that's the result of identity theft or some other mistake.
During the 2015 CFPB enforcement action, regulators found that Chase had obtained court judgments against consumers in cases where the bank pursued the wrong person almost 9% of the time. The bank was also selling what the regulators dubbed "zombie debts," accounts that were no longer owed or were never owed in the first place.
One consumer who posted a complaint about 210-520-1454 on the website RoboKiller reported, "Please tell them I paid them and they denied my payment. There was plenty of funding available in the bank at the time." Another consumer who posted about the same number on 800notes reported being contacted about a fraudulent credit card account. "I told them I had already reported this account fraud and they told me that was 'my problem,'" the consumer wrote.
Before you do anything else, you need to verify that you actually owe the debt Chase says you owe.
Have you looked at your credit reports?
You're entitled to one free credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies every year. You can access those reports through the government-mandated website AnnualCreditReport.com. Once you have your credit reports in hand, look to see if there are any accounts from Chase or JPMorgan Chase listed. If there are, compare the balance and account number shown on your report with your own records to make sure they match. If they don't, that could be a sign that something is amiss.
Consumer complaints about 210-520-1454
What are they saying when they call? Are they identifying themselves?
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) requires anyone trying to collect a debt over the phone to identify themselves and explain the purpose of their call. Some consumers who have posted complaints about 210-520-1454, however, report that's not happening.
"I've been getting calls from this number for a while now and I always ignore it. I never get any messages or voicemails, just the calls. Today I picked up by accident and it was a guy that simply said hello and was waiting for a response from me. I stayed silent on the phone for so long waiting to hear what he wanted to say but instead he waited silently too," one consumer reported.
Another consumer who posted on 800notes had a similar experience. "They called again and I answered, 'Hello?' A male voice replied, 'Hello' and after a 5 second pregnant pause I hung up," the consumer wrote.
Are they asking for sensitive information?
Several consumers report that callers from this number are asking for sensitive financial information like bank account numbers, routing numbers, and even Social Security numbers. "Asked me to verify my account and routing numbers over the phone; real bank associates would not have you verify that info," one consumer reported.
You should never give your financial information out over the phone in response to an unsolicited call. If someone from Chase needs information to verify your identity, you can provide it through the official Chase mobile app or by calling the customer service number on the back of your credit card. You should never provide sensitive information over the phone unless you are absolutely sure you know who's on the other end of the line and unless you have the terms of the call in writing.
How many times should a creditor call me? Does the frequency of calls matter?
Yes. Under the FDCPA, creditors are prohibited from making collection calls "the natural consequence of which is to harass, oppress or abuse any person in connection with the collection of a debt." Calls repeatedly made in a short period of time can be considered harassing.
Several consumers who have posted complaints about 210-520-1454 report that the bank is calling them repeatedly throughout the day. "Harassment! These people really don't have anything better to do...they call every 30 mins to an hour every single day!" one consumer wrote. Another reported that Chase is calling "3-4 times a day." A third consumer said the bank is calling "8-10+ times a day."
As we noted earlier, Chase has already been punished for this behavior. The bank agreed to pay $34 million to settle a class-action lawsuit called Gehrich v. Chase Bank USA over automated calls and texts the bank made without consumers' consent. In another case, Barrow v. JP Morgan Chase Bank, the bank paid $2.25 million to settle allegations that it made robocalls to mortgage borrowers without their consent.
What should I document?
Every single call you receive from this number is potential evidence in your case. You should save your call log to show the dates and times you received calls, as well as how long each call lasted. Take a screenshot of any voicemails or missed call notifications you receive. If you answer the phone and speak with someone, write down exactly what they say, whether they identified themselves and the purpose of the call, and whether they asked for personal financial information. This documentation can be critical if you decide at some point to file a complaint with the CFPB or pursue a remedy in court. Without documentation, it's your word against a trillion-dollar bank.
What happens if I ignore the calls? Will Chase sue me?
This is the question on every consumer's mind who is facing collection calls. The answer may surprise you. Chase stopped filing lawsuits against consumers over credit card debt in January 2012, and was permanently barred from collections on more than 528,000 consumer accounts by the CFPB as part of the 2015 enforcement action.
While it's technically true that Chase could resume filing collection lawsuits at any time, in reality, most consumer debts aren't worth the cost for the bank to pursue a lawsuit. That's why the calls. It's cheaper for Chase to call you 10 times a day than it is to hire a lawyer and file a complaint in court.
Could the debt be sold to a third-party?
It's possible. If Chase decides that the amount you owe isn't worth its time to pursue, the bank could sell the debt to a third-party debt buyer. We know of at least two debt buyers who purchase portfolios from Chase: Midland Credit Management and Portfolio Recovery Associates. Both of these companies purchase debts for pennies on the dollar, so even if you do owe the debt, you may not have to pay the full amount to put this behind you.
When debts change hands, paperwork frequently gets lost or incomplete. The documentation for the account may be inaccurate or incomplete, the balance may be incorrect, and it may be impossible to establish who the rightful owner of the debt is. Any one of these issues creates an opportunity for you to dispute the account on your credit report and potentially get it removed.
What can you do right now?
Is everything on your credit report accurate?
Start by pulling your free annual credit reports from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. Look to see if there are any accounts from Chase or JPMorgan Chase on your report, and compare the balance, date of first delinquency, account status, and other details to your own records to make sure everything matches.
Inaccurate accounts are leverage. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) you have the right to dispute any information on your credit report that you believe is inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable. The credit reporting agencies are required to investigate and verify the information or correct it within 30 days.
Should you handle this on your own?
You can certainly try to dispute any inaccurate information on your credit report on your own, and many consumers do. But, if you're dealing with a first-party creditor as big as Chase, which has in-house counsel and established relationships with the credit reporting agencies, that can be a difficult and time-consuming process.
The good news is you don't have to go it alone. At FightCollections.com, we specialize in disputing unverifiable accounts and challenging collection agencies that don't have the documentation to prove a debt. If Chase or some other debt collector is reporting inaccurate information to the credit reporting agencies, we can help you fight back.
Take control of your situation
Your next step
The phone calls from 210-520-1454 aren't going to stop unless you do something about them. Chase has the resources to keep calling you indefinitely, and ignoring the calls is not a strategy. You don't have to talk to the bank directly either, and under no circumstances should you give sensitive financial information out over the phone to anyone who calls you unsolicited.
What you should do is educate yourself. Pull your credit reports and see what Chase is claiming you owe. Document every call you receive from the bank, and understand that you have legal tools at your disposal to challenge debts you don't owe. The FCRA and FDCPA were enacted to protect consumers like you, and they work best when you use them proactively rather than reactively.
Visit FightCollections.com today to talk to a specialist who can review your credit reports and help you figure out what to do next. Education is the first step, and it's free.