Who is Credit Collection Services (CCS)?
Company Name: Credit Collection Services (CCS) a/k/a The CCS Companies (Credit Control Services, Inc.)
Type of Company: Third-party debt collector and debt buyer
Address: 725 Canton Street Norwood, MA 02062
Years in Business: Since 1966
Annual Revenue: Estimated $107 million
Number of Employees: Estimated 500-700 employees
Industries Served: Insurance, healthcare, telecom, utilities, banking, government, retail
Better Business Bureau (BBB) Rating: B (accredited since June 2023)
Other Relevant Information: CCS holds a GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract for government debt collection
Are you being called by 781-656-9000? RoboKiller has identified this number with nearly 49,000 calls and 1,300+ user reports. Nomorobo has flagged this as a "Severe" robocall risk, first detected in August 2018 and remains active.
CCS is no stranger to private litigation, including a 2020 TCPA class-action lawsuit alleging the use of an automatic telephone dialing system to place unsolicited calls, with damages ranging from $500 to $1,500 per call. Despite nearly 4,000 complaints filed with the BBB in just three years and over 2,000 complaints with the CFPB, CCS has managed to avoid formal federal enforcement action.
Why is Credit Collection Services (CCS) calling you? They collect nearly every type of debt
Credit Collection Services casts a wide net. Their clients include insurance companies, hospitals, cable companies, utilities, banks, government agencies, toll authorities, and retailers.
Consumers have filed complaints against CCS citing original creditors including GEICO, Allstate, Progressive, Nationwide, and Farmers, suggesting insurance subrogation may be a significant portion of their revenue. A disproportionate number of disputed debts are related to auto insurance companies, with many consumers saying they were contacted about debts they didn't recognize after changing insurance carriers.
The scenario plays out like this: A consumer cancels their policy and never receives a final bill from the insurer. Months later, they discover CCS has placed a collection on their credit report for a balance they do not believe they owe.
They may also be collecting a debt they purchased
Credit Collection Services operates as both a third-party debt collector working on behalf of original creditors and as a debt buyer that purchases delinquent debts directly. When debt is sold, details may be lost in the shuffle. The account number will change, the payment history may be incomplete, and the original contract may not exist.
That matters because if a debt collector cannot produce the original contract, they have a problem. If CCS purchased your debt from another company, the trail connecting you to this debt may not be as clear as they are suggesting.
Red Flag Radar: Warning signs something is wrong
The dead air test
One of the most common complaints about this phone number is dead air. Consumers report answering the phone only to hear nothing or the phone starts ringing again as if they have been transferred to another extension.
CallerCenter consumer: "I answered the phone and said hello 3 times. Weird thing is, the phone started ringing again. No one ever spoke, then got busy signal."
ShouldIAnswer consumer: "Keeps calling and calling and calling. No one responds when I pick up, never leaves a message."
If you are hearing dead air when you answer, that is a predictive dialer dialing more calls than the available agents can handle. It is also a warning sign that this collector values volume over compliance.
The information extraction script
When someone does answer the phone, consumers report being subjected to a script designed to extract as much personal information as possible before providing any information about the purpose of the call.
FindWhoCallsYou consumer: "The woman asked for me by name stating she was calling on a recorded line in regards to a 'personal business matter.' Asked me to verify my address and I refused. Asked me to verify my DOB instead. I explained I would never give personal information to someone who called my cell phone if they were unwilling to tell me what it was regarding."
This is not a conversation; this is an extraction. Every detail you confirm over the phone can be used to validate a debt, update their records, or restart a statute of limitations clock.
Phone calls leave no paper trail. They create no enforceable agreements for the collector. They provide you with no documentation to support a dispute. The only person who benefits from a phone call with a debt collector is the debt collector.
What most people get wrong
The payment instinct is the most expensive mistake
When the calls are coming every day and there is a collection account appearing on your credit report, the natural reaction is to pay the debt to make it all go away. That reaction is exactly what Credit Collection Services is hoping for. Their entire outbound call strategy is built around applying enough pressure to get you to pull out your wallet before you pull out your rights.
Making a payment, even a partial payment, can restart the statute of limitations clock on this debt. It can confirm the debt is valid in their system. It can take away your leverage to dispute the debt. Once you make a payment, you have effectively acknowledged this is your debt and these records are accurate, even if neither one of those things is true.
What they call follow-up is actually a pressure campaign
800notes consumer: "They call like 10 times in a row two or three times a week. If I answer they hang up, if I don't they don't leave a voicemail."
YouMail consumer: "They call multiple times a day, every day. They do not leave any messages."
What the collection industry calls "follow-up" or "account servicing" is actually a psychological pressure campaign designed to wear you down. The purpose is not to educate you on anything. The purpose is to make the calls so frequent that you will pay just to make them stop.
A former CCS employee acknowledged as much in a public complaint forum, stating the calls would not stop and that thousands of new accounts are coming in all the time.
How to actually make the calls stop
Pull your credit reports first
Before you do anything, pull your credit reports from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus via AnnualCreditReport.com. Look for any account listing Credit Collection Services, CCS, or Credit Control Services, Inc. Make a note of the reported balance, the date of first delinquency, and the original creditor.
Red flags to look for include a date of first delinquency that looks incorrect, a balance that does not match any account you recognize, an original creditor you have never heard of before, or a missing detail in the account information. Any one of those discrepancies is a potential removal opportunity.
Dispute the account through the credit bureaus
File a formal dispute with each credit bureau reporting this CCS account. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the credit bureau has 30 days to investigate your dispute. During that investigation, CCS must verify the accuracy of every item they have reported. If they cannot provide the documentation to support their claims, the credit bureau must remove the item from your report.
This is where the debt buyer model can work against CCS. When debts change hands, the original documentation may be lost. If a collector cannot verify the information they have reported, they have no legal right to keep that item on your credit report.
Protect yourself going forward
Document everything, say nothing
Do not answer the calls from this number. Do not return the calls. Do not confirm your identity, your address, or any other personal details over the phone. Every communication should be in writing. Every correspondence should be sent certified mail with return receipt requested.
If CCS is calling the wrong number for the person they are trying to reach, the complaint history suggests they may not stop even when notified. 800notes consumer: "Doubt she will. I used to be in collections and I know how it works."
Know when to escalate
If CCS continues to call you after you have sent a written cease-and-desist notice, that may be a violation of the FDCPA. If they are calling your cell phone with an autodialer without your consent, that may be a violation of the TCPA worth $500-$1,500 per call. Document every call, including the date, the time, and a screenshot of your call log.
The bottom line
Take action before they lock you in
Credit Collection Services is a large and well-established debt collection operation with nearly six decades of experience leveraging phone pressure to generate payments.
Their model is built on the assumption that most consumers will pay rather than fight. The fact that nearly 49,000 calls have been logged from this one phone number alone tells you everything you need to know about their strategy.
The best way to beat that strategy is to refuse to play by their rules. Don't answer the phone. Don't make a payment before you investigate.
Pull your credit reports. Look for those red flags in every detail. File your disputes through the credit bureaus. If CCS cannot validate what they are reporting, the credit bureaus will delete it.
FightCollections.com can help you navigate every step of that process, from identifying red flags on your credit report to filing disputes that put the burden of proof where it belongs.
