Are you getting calls from 800-314-2173? The caller on the other end is Midland Credit Management. They’re calling you because they’re trying to collect a debt they’ve purchased from your original creditor. But is the debt valid, accurate, or collectable? Let’s find out.
We’ve received 266 reports from consumers like you of unwanted calls from this number. Keep in mind that 41,000 of those calls came from this number alone! If you’re avoiding this caller or wondering how to get them to stop calling you, you’re not alone.
Who Is Midland Credit Management?
- Type of company: Debt buyer (buys debts from original creditors for pennies on the dollar)
- Parent company: Encore Capital Group, which is a publicly-traded company (NASDAQ)
- Headquarters: 350 Camino de la Reina, San Diego, California
- Company size: More than 7,350 employees worldwide (across 24 U.S. locations and international offices in Costa Rica and India)
- States served: All 50 states
- Annual revenue: $2.16 billion in total collections worldwide (as of FY2024)
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating/complaints: 1,051 complaints filed in the past 3 years (213 in the past year)
- Trustpilot rating: 2.1/5 stars
Their History with Regulatory Agencies Speaks Volumes
You’re probably not the only consumer who’s ever felt harassed by MCM. In fact, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sued MCM and its parent company, Encore Capital Group, twice: once in 2015 and again in 2020. Both times, it was for engaging in deceptive debt collection practices, including:
- Calling consumers before 8:00 AM or after 9:00 PM
- Trying to collect debts they couldn’t validate
As a result, MCM and Encore paid more than $67 million in fines and consumer restitution. The company also agreed to a multi-state settlement with 42 state attorneys general for the “robo-signing” of court documents for 1.5 million consumers.
Why Is Midland Credit Management Calling Me?
What Do They Buy and Collect?
Midland Credit Management isn’t your original creditor. They’re a debt buyer, which means they buy up portfolios of debts from banks and other lenders for pennies on the dollar (as little as 3-13 cents per dollar). Then, they try to collect the full amount from you.
This is an important distinction for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the debt they’re trying to collect isn’t really a debt in the classical sense. Instead, it’s a financial instrument—a commodity—that they bought and sold like a stock or bond. They bought it for pennies, but they’re trying to collect dollars. The difference is their profit.
In 2024 alone, MCM spent $998.9 million on U.S. portfolio purchases with an estimated remaining collectible balance of $8.5 billion.
The Kind of Debt They Collect
MCM primarily collects credit card debt from major credit card companies like Chase, Citibank, Capital One, and Discover. They also buy and collect:
- Personal loan debts
- Retail credit debts (from store credit cards issued by Synchrony and Comenity)
- Telecommunications debts
- Utility debts
The type of debt they’re collecting when they call you might influence how aggressively they pursue you. For example, if they have all the documentation for a credit card debt, they may be more likely to sue you. If the debt they’re trying to collect has shakier documentation, they may rely more on phone calls to try to get you to pay.
What Type of Debt Is Yours?
Knowing whether the debt they’re calling you about is a credit card account (which might have better documentation) or something else (which might have weaker documentation) can help you determine how likely it is that you can successfully dispute the debt.
Consumer Reports about Calls from 800-314-2173
Late-Night Calls and Robocalls
Many of the reports we’ve received about unwanted calls from 800-314-2173 describe calls that might be illegal under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). One caller on 800Notes reported that this number:
“…calls every night at 10:30 and does not leave a message.”
Another caller described the 10:30 PM calls as “illegal.”
Under the FDCPA, debt collectors can’t call you before 8:00 AM or after 9:00 PM in your time zone.
We’ve also received several reports of robocalls from this number. Callers on YouMail reported that this number calls and hangs up when they answer the phone. One caller on UnknownPhone described calls every other day that don’t leave voicemails. When the caller called the number back, someone answered with a generic greeting (not a specific business greeting).
Wrong Numbers and “Zombie Debts”
A surprising number of reports describe calls to the wrong person. One caller on RoboKiller reported that the caller said:
“This call is being recorded…is Brandi there?…are you the spouse?”
Another caller was asked for the “spouse of Betty.”
A transcript on Nomorobo starts like this:
“Hello, my name is ——— and I’m calling from Midland Credit Management. We have you listed as the spouse of Elaine ——.”
One caller on 800Notes called the company back and found that they had the caller’s name, but not the right state or birthdate. The caller concluded that the company had the wrong person.
One caller on YouMail reported that MCM has been calling a cell phone number since 2017, despite the fact that the caller has excellent credit and no loans.
What Are They Counting On?
The Authority Play
Debt collectors know that most of us are programmed to respond to authority, so when a collector tells us that they’re calling from a recorded line, or threatens to sue us, or implies that some kind of legal proceeding is underway, we are more likely to do what they say without questioning their authority.
One caller on ComplaintsBoard — a 70-year-old widow — reported that a representative from the company threatened to:
“…send officers to my home and place of employment” over a debt of $1,200.
This is another illegal practice under the FDCPA. No debt collector can send a law enforcement officer to your home or workplace over a consumer debt. Threatening to do so is also illegal.
Our Count on Your Inaction
MCM’s business model relies on volume and speed. They need to get as many consumers as possible to pay as much as possible as quickly as possible without asking too many questions.
That’s why we almost always advise consumers against talking directly with a debt collector. Unless you know your rights under the FCRA and FDCPA, you can easily inadvertently do one of the following:
- Reset the statute of limitations on an old debt
- Confirm your personal contact information when the collector doesn’t already have it
- Agree to pay a debt that isn’t valid
There are a lot of landmines to navigate, and collectors know how to use them to their advantage. That’s why it’s essential to work with a professional who understands the ins and outs of the FCRA and FDCPA.
Your Rights under Federal Law
You Can Demand Proof
Under the FDCPA, you have the right to demand that a debt collector verify any debt they’re trying to collect from you. That includes:
- The amount of the debt
- The name of the original creditor
- The date of your last payment
- Proof that the collector has the right to collect the debt
This isn’t a courtesy. It’s a federal right that the collector must respect.
For a debt buyer like MCM, verification can be a high hurdle. When debts change hands multiple times, the paperwork often gets lost or destroyed along the way. In fact, the CFPB found that Encore was attempting to collect debts that were:
- Unsubstantiated
- Inaccurate
- Uncollectable
If the CFPB found that Encore’s documentation was inadequate, there’s a good chance that the documentation on your debt is also flawed.
Why a Credit Report Dispute Matters
Rather than responding to MCM directly, your best bet is often to dispute the collection account on your credit report. When you hire a credit repair expert to dispute the account on your behalf, the collector has 30 days to verify all of the information in the account. If they can’t provide adequate documentation, the credit reporting agency must delete the account from your report.
If you have a professional representing you, the collector also knows you’re not a consumer they can push around. MCM has millions of accounts, and they don’t have time or resources to mess with consumers who won’t roll over and play dead.
When they get a well-documented dispute from someone who knows how to make them play by the rules under the FCRA, they often decide it’s not worth their time to fight.
Conclusion
Those calls from 800-314-2173 aren’t going to stop unless you make them. Midland Credit Management is a $2 billion company with a business model that relies on calling consumers as many times as it takes to get them to pay up. And their regulatory history shows that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get there, even when that means violating federal law.
You don’t have to answer their calls, and you don’t have to deal with them on your own. The debt they’re calling you about is a commodity they paid pennies for. Chances are, the documentation on that debt is not as solid as they want you to think.
Ready to Make the Calls Stop?
If you’re getting calls from 800-314-2173, we can help.
At FightCollections.com, we specialize in disputing collection accounts on your credit report under the FCRA and FDCPA.
Contact us today for a free consultation, and let us:
- Pull your credit report and review it
- Evaluate the collection account they’re calling you about
- Develop a customized plan to dispute the account and make the calls stop
It’s time to take back control. Let’s get started today.
