Called by 402-609-5706? Know Your Rights

First Data Corp 402-609-5706 belongs to First Data Corp. They are calling either because their fraud detection algorithms have flagged some activity on a card account that they process, or because one of their debt collection affiliates is attempting to collect a bad debt related to a bounced check or other electronic payment.

Regardless of the reason, thousands of consumers have reported frustrating, constant calls from this number.

As of our last update, the Federal Trade Commission had received 343 reports about this phone number from consumers in 37 states, with 64% of them characterizing the calls as robocalls. RoboKiller has tracked over 114,000 total calls from this phone number. So, if you're getting calls from 402-609-5706, you're not alone.

Below is information about the company using this number, why they might be calling you, what other consumers have experienced, and how you can stop the calls.

First Data Corp’s History of Harassment

First Data has run into trouble with regulators over their calling practices before. In 2022, the company settled a Telephone Consumer Protection Act class-action lawsuit (Floyd v. First Data Merchant Services LLC) for $1.6M. The company had been accused of making unsolicited pre-recorded telemarketing calls to people who had never consented to receive them.

In a separate action, First Data subsidiaries TeleCheck Services, Inc. and TRS Recovery Services, Inc. were ordered to pay $3.5M by the Federal Trade Commission in 2014 for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act in connection with their debt collection activities. They had allegedly failed to investigate consumers’ disputes properly and had provided inaccurate information.

Why Is First Data Corp Calling Me?

Transaction Verification on Behalf of Your Bank

First Data processes nearly half of all U.S. credit and debit card transactions. If your bank’s fraud monitoring system identifies a suspicious transaction, First Data may place an automated call to you on your bank’s behalf. The call will say something about a “transaction review department” and will ask you to confirm a few recent transactions.

One CallerCenter user transcribed the script they heard: “We are calling from the transaction review department on behalf of [my local credit union] to verify recent transactions on your Visa debit card.”

Banks mentioned in consumer complaints about this phone number include: Redstone Federal Credit Union, America First Credit Union, PNC, and dozens of others.

Debt Collection Through First Data Subsidiaries

First Data also has a debt collection business. TeleCheck Services, Inc. is one of the largest check-verification companies in the country and is considered a consumer reporting agency. If you write a check that bounces—or attempt an electronic payment that fails—TeleCheck may purchase that debt and pass it along to its wholly owned subsidiary TRS Recovery Services, Inc., a licensed collection agency.

That means First Data might not be calling about a fraud alert. They might be calling because a subsidiary bought a debt in your name. That distinction matters, because purchased debt has different weaknesses than a direct debt to your bank.

How This Operation Works

The Business Model Behind the Calls

First Data’s debt collection business treats debts like a product. When you attempt to pay with a bad check or a failed electronic payment, TeleCheck Services buys the debt and passes it along to TRS Recovery Services for collection.

This is a volume business. They buy the debt for pennies on the dollar, so the collection agency can only make a profit if they can get you to pay—now. That’s why they’re so urgent on their messages. There’s rarely an actual urgency to pay a debt like this, despite the anxiety and pressure their calls create.

Collectors are relying on you to panic and pay without asking whether the debt is legitimate, whether the amount is correct, or whether the collector can even prove that the debt exists.

Why Gaps in Documentation Help You

Every time a debt gets sold, the paperwork trail gets thinner. Original contracts, receipts, and other documentation often disappear as the debt passes from the original creditor to a debt buyer to a collection agency.

That means purchased debt often lacks a clear chain of title, which is why filing a formal dispute through the credit bureaus can be such an effective strategy. If you dispute a collection account on your credit report, the collector is required by law to verify that debt with documentation.

Most collectors can’t or won’t meet their verification obligations within the time limit set by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, so the account gets deleted. That’s how the system is supposed to work.

What Other Consumers Have Said About Calls from 402-609-5706

Confusion with Scams

The most common theme across platforms is how difficult it is to distinguish these calls from scams. On 800notes, one consumer reported receiving a truncated robocall that said only, “This call is for” and hung up. Four hours later, the same number called again, this time leaving a full automated message that referenced the consumer’s bank.

They explained: “I then called my bank directly and sure enough, I found out this is a legit situation.”

But others weren’t so lucky. Another 800notes user wrote: “THIS IS A Scam. They called 3 times on a SUNDAY to my phone, no bank works on a sunday, and the last call was at 7pm.” When they called their bank the following Monday, they were told there was no suspicious activity on their account.

When a company’s legitimate calls can’t be told from scams, something is wrong.

Pressure to Provide Sensitive Information

A few consumers reported calls that went beyond verification. One CallerCenter user outlined the experience like this: “They attempt to ally any reservations you have, stating they want to help you cancel your card. They then ask you to confirm your address and finally prompt you for card details.”

These calls came during their bank’s off-hours, either late at night or early in the morning.

Businesses aren’t immune, either. One CallerCenter user reported that their business line was receiving 15 calls per day from this number. Another said they’d been hearing the same truncated message every day for over a week.

What You Can Do

Your Rights and How to Respond

The Credit Report Dispute Strategy

If First Data Corp (or one of their subsidiaries) has placed a collection account on your credit report, your best strategy is to dispute the account directly through the credit bureau.

Under the FCRA, the credit bureau is required to accept your dispute and forward it to the data furnisher (the company that placed the account on your report). The data furnisher then has 30 days to investigate and verify the account with any relevant documentation. If they can’t or won’t, the account must be deleted.

This strategy works because bad debts are commodities, not obligations. When a company buys debts at a few pennies on the dollar, they’re treating that debt as a commodity. You should, too. Every time the debt is sold, the data furnisher’s ability to prove that it’s legitimate diminishes. Many simply lack the resources or the motivation to respond properly to a dispute filed through the credit bureaus.

Why Removal is Permanent

Once you successfully dispute a collection account and get it removed from your credit report, it will generally stay removed. Data furnishers typically don’t have a way to re-report a deleted account, and most lack the financial incentive to devote additional resources to a debt they purchased for a tiny fraction of its face value. In the vast majority of cases, removal is permanent.

That’s why the dispute process is more important than playing phone tag. A credit report dispute puts the burden of proof where it belongs—on the data furnisher—and forces them to show that the account is not only legitimate but documented and legally reportable.

Take Matters into Your Own Hands

The Calls Won’t Stop Themselves

First Data Corp is a multi-billion-dollar company that’s now backed by one of the largest financial tech firms in the world. Their calling systems are automated, they’re making tens of thousands of calls per day, and their subsidiaries have a history of violating consumers’ rights through improper calling practices and debt collection.

Waiting for the calls to stop is not a strategy.

Let FightCollections.com Help You Push Back

If First Data Corp or one of their subsidiaries has put a collection account on your credit report, the team at FightCollections.com can help you dispute it and fight for removal. We specialize in disputing inaccurate and unverifiable collection accounts from credit reports. We know how to initiate a dispute, hold a collector to their obligations under the FCRA and FDCPA, and keep pushing until the account is gone.

You didn’t ask for these calls, and you don’t have to face them alone. Let us help you understand your options and develop a strategy to regain control over your credit report.