800-955-6600 is associated with Northland Group. We’ll cover why they’re calling and, more importantly, how to get them to stop. If you’re seeing this number on your caller ID over and over, you’re dealing with one of the most complained about debt collectors in the country.
Is Northland Group a scam?
Northland Group is a real company, not a scam, but that doesn’t mean they’re not problematic. Northland Group, Inc. is a licensed debt collection agency. They’ve been around since 1982, but consumer complaints suggest they’re extremely aggressive. They primarily collect on Capital One credit card debt.
Information about Northland Group, Inc. (800-955-6600)
Company Name: Northland Group, Inc.
Type of Company: Third-party debt collection agency
Parent Company: Radius Global Solutions, LLC (merged November 2016)
Headquarters: Edina, Minnesota (7831 Glenroy Road, Suite 250)
Founded: 1982 by John Johnson in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Industries: Credit card debt, student loans, auto loans, telecommunications, utilities, medical debt
Primary Known Client: Capital One
Additional Known Clients: Citibank, HSBC, Discover Bank, TD Bank, Macy’s, Sears, Target
Better Business Bureau (BBB) Rating: A+ (accredited since 1994); customer review average: 1.08 out of 5 stars
Number of Employees: 4,000+ across 14 locations (combined with Radius Global Solutions)
The Truth About 800-955-6600
User reports on RoboKiller reveal that 800-955-6600 has made more than 6.1 million calls to consumers, totaling 26,733 user reports. On Everycaller, the number has 6,287 complaints and 139,139 blocked calls.
In Buchanan v. Northland Group, Inc., the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the company’s practice of offering to “settle” debts that were past the statute of limitations may mislead consumers into thinking the debt is still collectible. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed an amicus brief in the case.
Why is Northland Group calling me?
Northland Group may be calling you because they believe you owe a debt to one of their clients. The balance may or may not be valid. If Northland Group is calling you, you need to know how to make them stop.
Northland Group, Inc. calls consumers from 800-955-6600 because they believe the person who answers the phone owes a debt. The debt may or may not be valid, but that’s not really the point. The point is to make the caller (you) feel guilty enough about the situation to pick up the phone and make a payment.
Wrong number, wrong person
Unfortunately, a lot of these calls go to the wrong person. According to reviews on 800notes, some consumers have been receiving calls intended for the previous owner of their cell phone number. Here is what one consumer reported:
“I keep getting calls from this 800-955-6600, I have told them that the person that they are looking for is not at this number, here it is 8 months later, and they are still calling me 4 to 5 times a day.”
This isn’t unique to Northland Group. All debt collectors purchase data in bulk. Sometimes that data is a little out of date. When a debt collector adds your phone number to an autodialer, it can be a challenge to get it removed. But it’s not impossible.
What are consumers saying about these calls?
The complaints about 800-955-6600 are extensive, but there are a few themes that tend to repeat themselves.
Frequent calls
Consumers report receiving 3-10 or more calls per day from 800-955-6600. Often the calls start at 7:30 am and continue as late as 10:00 pm.
“This number calls my cell phone once every hour! They never ever leave a message, and will call as early as 730am, late as 1000pm.”
“Caller calls at least 9-10 times a day, all hours of the day. I had a stroke and can’t talk that good. They don’t leave a message.”
Pre-recorded voicemails
Consumers report receiving pre-recorded voicemails from a “Karen” or “Linda” who claim to represent Capital One. The voicemails are vague, asking the consumer to return their call about an “important personal business matter.” When consumers return the calls, they are asked to verify their identities with the last 4 digits of their Social Security number.
“I called to tell them to stop calling me and the woman told me that unless I give her my full name and last 4 of my SSN, they could not stop the calls.”
Demands for personal info
Many consumers complain that Northland Group demands their personal info before they’ll stop calling.
How does this affect your credit score?
As annoying as these calls are, they aren’t really the problem. The real problem is the credit report damage a collection account can cause. A collection account can stay on your credit report for up to 7 years. It can drop your credit score every time you apply for a mortgage, car loan, or credit card.
“Placed a collection on my credit report for Ohio Edison. I don’t even have any utilities accounts. Nobody answers when you call them. Dropped my credit scores 90+ points.” - BBB reviewer
Credit report damage is the primary damage caused by a debt collector. The phone calls are just a way to apply pressure. The credit report damage is the leverage.
How does a collection account end up on your credit report?
Collection accounts usually end up on your credit report because a debt collector is trying to collect a balance from you. They place the account on your credit report as a way to coerce you into paying.
Consumers often try to write goodwill letters to the debt collector, asking them to remove the collection account as an act of goodwill. Unfortunately, this strategy rarely works. Here’s why: Debt collectors don’t actually make money from people who pay. They make money from people who pay quickly. Every day a consumer contests a debt is a day the debt collector isn’t getting paid. A goodwill letter asks the debt collector to give up the one thing they have to leverage you into paying. It just doesn’t work very well.
Where does Northland Group operate?
Northland Group operates nationwide as part of Radius Global Solutions. The company has offices in Edina, Minnesota; Ambler, Pennsylvania; Jacksonville, Florida; Houston, Texas; and Pasadena, California. It also has offshore call centers in Montego Bay, Jamaica; Panama City, Panama; Bogota, Colombia; Mumbai, India; and Manila, Philippines.
In 2023, the Connecticut Department of Banking issued a consent order and $10,000 fine to Radius Global Solutions for collecting debts from Connecticut residents from an offshore location.
Some states offer more protection against debt collectors than others. New York, California, and Connecticut have enacted laws that place additional restrictions on the activities of debt collectors operating in those states. Northland Group faces the majority of its class action lawsuits in the state of New York, where Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) enforcement is aggressive.
If you live in a state with strong consumer protection laws, Northland Group has more to lose when collecting a debt from you. They know that, and they adjust their behavior accordingly. Understanding your state’s laws is an important part of understanding your rights.
How to make the calls stop
First, pull your credit report
If you want to make the calls from 800-955-6600 stop, it’s time to start with your credit report. The first step in addressing calls from a debt collector is always pulling your credit report. If Northland Group is calling you, there may be a collection account on your credit report that you don’t recognize.
When you pull your credit report, you can see exactly what Northland Group is saying about you, including: original creditor, balance, and date of first delinquency.
File a dispute
Once you have this information, you can file a formal dispute with the credit reporting agencies. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires credit reporting agencies and data furnishers to investigate consumer disputes. If the data furnisher (Northland Group) cannot verify the debt, they have to remove it from your credit report.
Use the FDCPA and FCRA to your advantage
Most consumers view the FCRA and FDCPA as tools for defending themselves against debt collectors. It’s better to think of them as offensive tools. The FDCPA restricts the ways in which a debt collector can contact you. The FCRA gives you the right to challenge any information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
If you dispute the information, the data furnisher has to verify it. Often debt collectors can’t. When they can’t, the credit reporting agencies have to remove the information from your credit report.
Conclusion
If you’re getting calls from 800-955-6600, you have options. Thousands of consumers have reported the same experience with Northland Group, from wrong-number calls that won’t end to credit score damage from accounts they never opened.
If you’re ready to fight back, we’re here to help. FightCollections.com specializes in helping consumers fight back against debt collectors like Northland Group. If you have inaccurate collection accounts on your credit report, our team can help you navigate the dispute process and work toward removal.
Visit FightCollections.com today.