866-648-5190 is a phone number associated with Northland Group, a large debt collection agency. They use this number to make outbound calls to people all over the country.
According to RoboKiller, 866-648-5190 has made over 23,700 calls that have been tracked and reported by dozens of users. The number has been active since at least December 2014, and has been flagged as a robocaller by Nomorobo. Many major phone lookup services have also blacklisted or flagged the number.
Here is what you need to know.
Who is calling me from 866-648-5190?
The company calling from 866-648-5190 is Northland Group Inc. (now a division of Radius Global Solutions LLC). They are a third-party debt collector and debt buyer.
Northland primarily handles debts from the credit card, retail credit, auto loan, telecommunications, student loan, and utility industries.
The company is headquartered at 7831 Glenroy Road, Suite 250, Edina, MN 55439.
Northland Group's parent company is Radius Global Solutions LLC. Northland merged with RGS in November 2016. The company has more than 4,000 employees across 14 locations in the US and abroad.
The Better Business Bureau has given Northland an A+ rating since 1994.
Some of Northland's most notable clients include:
Capital One, Citibank, Discover, HSBC, TD Bank, Macy's, CarMax, LVNV Funding
Northland Group's history of consumer complaints and class-action lawsuits
Northland Group has been the subject of dozens of class-action lawsuits alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. In 2016 and 2017 alone, Northland was hit with more than 50 federal lawsuits in New York, accusing the company of sending misleading collection letters and engaging in improper communication practices.
In 2016, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a landmark ruling in the case of Buchanan v. Northland Group, Inc. In Buchanan, Northland offered "settlements" on debts that were beyond the statute of limitations without disclosing that the debts were past the statute of limitations and therefore could not be enforced in court.
The Sixth Circuit held that this practice could be considered deceptive in violation of the FDCPA. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau weighed in on the side of the consumer in that case.
Northland's consumer reviews are also troubling. The company has an average rating of 1.6 out of 5 stars on PissedConsumer, based on 47 reviews. Northland has 56 complaints on ComplaintsBoard, and 79 reports on Ripoff Report.
Why is Northland Group calling me?
Northland Group calls people as a third-party debt collector and a debt buyer. They may be calling you on behalf of an original creditor who hired them to collect on a debt, or because they purchased an old debt from another collection agency and believe they now own it.
Keep in mind: just because Northland is calling you does not mean you owe them any money. It does not mean you owe the amount they claim you owe. And it certainly does not mean they have the legal right to collect money from you without first validating the debt.
Calls to the wrong number
Many reports about this number come from people who do not have any connection to the debt.
For example, one consumer report on 800Notes reads: "This is the twelfth different company looking for some guy named James, whose first initial is the same as my wife. Every time I tell them they are looking in the wrong place. I haven't moved and they keep selling the account to people without telling them this is not a number that will get them anywhere."
This is not an isolated report. Often when debts change hands between collection agencies, the consumer's contact information is passed along without verifying whether the new agency has the correct phone number or address.
What people are saying about 866-648-5190 calls
The overwhelming complaint about 866-648-5190 is the frequency of calls. Consumers say they receive daily calls, multiple calls a day, and calls that continue even after asking the company to stop.
One report on PissedConsumer says: "This company calls me 4 or 5 times a day I have asked them not to call on more than one occasion. To please take me off the calling list. They call at 8:55am and again all day then again at 8:45pm. Its harassing and unnecessarily obtrusive."
A report on 800Notes says: "This number calls my phone every single day and more than once a day, it's really getting on my nerves!"
In general, people say that the calls start early in the morning and occur throughout the day. Rarely does the caller leave a voicemail.
Obnoxious calls
Some reports suggest that Northland's calls go beyond annoyance to potential FDCPA violations.
One consumer report on 800Notes says: "I told them the person they were trying to contact was deceased, and [the caller] asked me if I could give him a message to pass on to the person."
A report on ComplaintsBoard says: "I received a letter from Northland Group stating I owed $6,000 for a credit card debt. The debt was included in a bankruptcy almost 20 years ago."
Remember: If a collector calls you, it's possible they don't have accurate information about you. Or that the debt is no longer collectible. You don't have to help them figure it out.
How to stop Northland Group calls
Step 1: Know your right to demand debt validation
Under the FDCPA, you have the right to force a debt collector to validate a debt they say you owe. When a debt collector validates a debt, they must provide you with the amount of the debt, the name of the original creditor, and proof that the debt is yours.
If Northland can't provide this proof, they have no right to be calling you. Debt validation is one of the most powerful rights available to consumers. When you exercise that right, you shift the burden of proof to the debt collector.
Step 2: Understand the statute of limitations
Every type of debt has a statute of limitations. Once the statute of limitations expires, the debt is no longer enforceable in court.
This is an important fact for Northland Group. As we explained above, the Sixth Circuit held that Northland may have violated the FDCPA by offering to "settle" debts that were past the statute of limitations without disclosing that fact to consumers.
If the debt Northland is calling about is old, the statute of limitations may already have expired.
Step 3: Dispute the collection account on your credit report
If Northland has placed a collection account on your credit report, you have the right to dispute it. When you dispute an account, the credit bureau must force the collector to investigate and verify the account.
If the collector can't verify the account, the credit bureau must remove it. This is not a rare occurrence. In many cases, the credit bureau removes the account without the consumer having to pay a dime.
Why you should act now
What happens if I ignore Northland's calls?
Ignoring calls from Northland won't make the calls stop. And every day a collection account remains on your credit report, it will continue to damage your credit score.
By acting now, whether through debt validation, credit report disputes, or professional help, you can prevent the situation from escalating. And you can make sure you, not the collector, control the outcome.
What happens when I hire a credit repair company?
When a credit repair company reaches out to a collector on your behalf, they know they are no longer dealing with an uninformed consumer.
When you have professional representation, accountability is built into the process. Disputes get filed correctly, deadlines get tracked, and the collector knows that any misstep will be documented.
Often when a credit repair company gets involved, the tone of the interaction changes. The collector is less aggressive, and more willing to resolve the account in a way that benefits you.
Get help dealing with Northland Group today
If you are getting unwanted calls from 866-648-5190 or have a Northland Group account on your credit report, we can help.
At FightCollections.com, we specialize in disputing collection accounts and holding debt collectors accountable under federal consumer protection laws. Contact us now for a free consultation.
You don't have to deal with this alone. And you don't have to talk to the debt collector.
