Financial Management Systems Inc is calling you from 866-674-0156. If you're getting calls from this number, it's likely because they think you owe a debt, or they at least think someone you know does.
The calls may happen daily; sometimes, several times a day. They may start with a pre-recorded message. You didn't ask them to call you, and you may not even recognize the debt they're calling about. In this article, we'll go over every step you need to take to make the calls stop.
Who Is Financial Management Systems Inc?
To stop the calls, you need to understand who's making them. Here's what's on public record about FMS Inc.:
Business name: FMS Inc.
Address: 4915 S Union Ave, Tulsa, OK 74107
Entity type: Third-party debt collector and call center
Industries: Healthcare, credit cards, utilities, telecom, auto finance, and purchased debt
Established: 1993
Employees: 201–500
Better Business Bureau rating: A+ (BBB Serving Eastern Oklahoma)
Owner: Privately held, veteran-owned
FMS Inc. works as both a first-party servicer and a third-party debt collector. They also purchase charged-off debt, which means they may be calling you about a balance your original creditor has already written off and sold to them. You're probably not the only person getting calls from 866-674-0156. Keep reading to find out why.
You're Not Alone
People have been complaining about calls from 866-674-0156 since at least 2007. FMS has been named in more than 70 federal lawsuits accusing the company of violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
As you're reading this, other consumers are getting the same daily calls and pre-recorded messages you are. They're getting demands to pay debts they don't recognize. We'll go over those reports in more detail later on. For now, rest assured that you're dealing with a known issue that has a known solution. So why are they calling you in the first place?
Why Is Financial Management Systems Inc Calling You?
Common Reasons for the Calls
FMS Inc. collects for a variety of industries, which means the debt they're calling you about could be almost anything. It might be an old medical bill, a credit card balance, a utility account, a telecom bill, or even an auto loan deficiency. And because they also buy charged-off debt, it's also possible the original creditor has already given up on your account and moved on.
That's an important distinction to make. Once a debt is charged off and sold, your original creditor doesn't care if it's paid or not. The company calling you from 866-674-0156 bought your debt as a commodity, probably for pennies on the dollar. The idea that you need to pay this debt because you owe your original creditor is a moral obligation that hinges on a relationship that doesn't exist anymore.
A Debt You May Not Recognize
Many consumers who complain about calls from 866-674-0156 don't recognize the debt.
One man who posted on 800notes wrote: "they keep calling my house, the lady today said they are FMS Incorporated.. I can't stand these guys and how they call all the time, even though I tell them we don't have anyone by the name they ask for in my home!"
Debt collectors frequently call the wrong person, chase debts that have already been paid, and pursue accounts associated with phone numbers that have been recycled. If you don't recognize the debt, that's reason enough to dispute it rather than try to engage with the caller.
What Are Others Saying About 866-674-0156?
Aggressive Calling Patterns
The number one complaint is the frequency of calls. Consumers have reported being called every day, and sometimes multiple times a day, with one consumer reporting, "FMS Inc. calls my house every week morning at 8:am, and now I don't get a recording, I get nothing. They just call to wake me up every morning."
Another consumer said, "I receive several calls a day from this number. Mostly hangups. If I answer they say this is not a sales call. Push 1 for a representative." The number has been identified as a confirmed robocaller by Nomorobo since December 2014.
Threats and Wrong Numbers
Beyond the calling patterns, consumers have also reported threatening behavior and attempted to collect debts from the wrong person.
One consumer reported, "They also state that they can't send out a statement due to it having to go through their lawyers… they still haven't sent anything but continue to call and try to intimidate me with scare tactics."
Another consumer reported that the caller ID showed up as "Boston, city of" even though FMS is based out of Tulsa, OK. This isn't a company that has their paperwork together.
How to Stop Calls from 866-674-0156
Step 1: Don't Answer and Don't Call Back
The first step to stopping calls from 866-674-0156 is simply to not answer them, and don't call the number back. When you speak to a debt collector on the phone, you're confirming your identity, the fact that your phone number is accurate, and potentially discussing details about your financial situation. Don't fall for it.
Instead, simply ignore calls from 866-674-0156, and work with a credit repair company to dispute the account that FMS Inc is calling you about. Phone calls with debt collectors almost never result in having the account removed from your credit report, so there's really no point in answering the phone in the first place.
Step 2: Keep a Record (But Still Don't Engage)
Even though you shouldn't be answering calls from debt collectors, you should still keep a record of the calls you're receiving. In a notebook or spreadsheet, log the date and time of the call, what the caller ID displayed, and whether or not a voicemail message was left. This information can be critical if you need to escalate the situation and file a complaint against FMS Inc.
Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, companies using auto-dialers or prerecorded messages without consent may be liable for up to $1,500 per call. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, FMS Inc may be violating their own rules if they're calling you at inconvenient times, misrepresenting themselves, or continuing to contact you at work after you've told them to stop.
Your call log can serve as the smoking gun you need to build a successful case against FMS Inc and potentially win thousands of dollars as a result.
Why You Should Dispute the Debt, Not the Calls
Most Debt Collectors Don't Have the Paperwork
In their rush to collect as much as possible and turn a profit, many debt collectors don't bother to obtain the necessary paperwork to collect a debt.
When the original creditor sells your debt to a collection agency, paperwork often gets lost in the shuffle. Your account balance may be miscalculated, your account number might be transposed with someone else's, or extraneous fees may be added to your balance. If you dispute the debt directly with the credit reporting bureaus, FMS Inc will need to provide paperwork proving the debt is yours.
If they can't provide that paperwork, the credit reporting bureaus will delete the account from your credit report entirely, and FMS Inc won't be able to contact you about this account again. If they can't provide it, as often they cannot, the account must be deleted from your credit report. The burden is not yours.
Dispute First, Verify Later
Your natural first step here is to attempt to determine whether you actually owe the debt. I get that. The problem is that this approach doesn't work in your favor. The second you ask a collector questions, you're playing on their home field. Dispute first, instead. If they have the paperwork, you'll soon know about it. If not, the account may be erased from your report.
This dispute-first approach works out much better for you than trying to sort it out and verify on your own.
Taking Control of Your Financial Identity
Why Working With a Credit Repair Company Matters
Disputing a collection account isn't about just a phone number or just a debt. It's about asserting control over your financial identity. Every unverified collection account on your credit report impacts your borrowing power, your housing options, and your peace of mind.
A credit repair company that specializes in collection disputes understands how to word the dispute letter so that it obligates the collector to respond with paperwork or be deleted. A credit repair company has knowledge of the deadlines and legal technicalities that consumers are almost never aware of. This is a very technical process that often benefits from a professional.
Your Rights Under Federal Law
Three federal laws provide the foundation of your protections here. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act outlaws deceptive, abusive, or unfair collection practices. The Fair Credit Reporting Act says that everything on your credit report must be accurate, verifiable, and complete.
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act limits the use of auto-dialers and pre-recorded messages. These are not just defensive weapons. They're offensive tools that you can use to fight back. Financial sovereignty is the end game here. It's about making sure that no collector, regardless of how aggressive, has the right to dictate the terms of your financial life.
Conclusion
The Calls Will Not Stop on Their Own
If you're getting unwanted calls from 866-674-0156, the behavior isn't going to change on its own.
Consumer complaints about this phone number date back nearly 20 years, and the behaviors have been consistent: daily robocalls, wrong person contact, and misleading caller ID. Picking up the phone isn't going to make them stop. What does work is disputing the underlying collection account on your credit report and making the collector prove that they have the right to report it.
Take the First Step Today
FightCollections.com specializes in helping consumers dispute collection accounts and retake control of their credit reports. If Financial Management Systems Inc is calling you from 866-674-0156, reach out for a free consultation. We'll review your credit report, identify all of your collection accounts that are ripe for dispute, and craft a strategy that's designed to get results.
You don't have to keep screening your calls or trying to figure out what they want. Take the first step and let us handle the rest.
