The phone number 866-771-1104 has been calling you repeatedly. The company on the other end, GE Money, is calling about an outstanding balance.
More specifically, it is likely related to an overdue bill on a store-branded credit card such as the Amazon Store Card. GE Money is a first-party creditor, which means that the company lent the money directly to the consumer, rather than buying a debt portfolio.
About Synchrony Financial (Formerly GE Money)
GE Money Services is now known as Synchrony Financial. Synchrony Financial is a Fortune 500 company and is one of the major issuers of store-branded credit cards. The company has over 71.5 million active customer accounts and more than $119.5 billion in total assets.
The company was originally a division of General Electric (GE Capital), spun off as Synchrony Financial in 2014 and fully separated from GE in November 2015. It is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, with a banking subsidiary in Draper, Utah.
The company is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau, with an average customer review of 1.05 out of 5 stars. Over the last three years, more than 8,000 complaints have been filed against the company.
In 2021, the District Attorneys in four California counties reached a settlement with Synchrony Bank that required the company to pay $3.5 million in fines and penalties. The District Attorneys found that Synchrony Bank was making an excessive and unreasonable number of collection calls to consumers, including calls made to consumers after they asked the company to stop calling them.
Additionally, three separate class action lawsuits over illegal robocalls resulted in an additional $12.5 million in settlements.
Are the Calls from 866-771-1104 Harassment?
RoboKiller has blocked more than 470,000 calls from the phone number 866-771-1104. You are not alone if you believe the calls you are receiving from 866-771-1104 amount to harassment. The company has paid millions of dollars to settle claims about their calling practices.
In fact, in 2021, Synchrony Bank paid a $3.5 million settlement after District Attorneys in four California counties found that the company was making an excessive and unreasonable number of collection calls, including calls made after consumers requested they stop calling. Three separate class action lawsuits over illegal robocalls resulted in an additional $12.5 million in settlements.
The number of calls being made from the phone number is staggering. RoboKiller alone has blocked more than 470,000 calls from the number.
Why Is GE Money Calling Me?
Synchrony Financial is a first-party creditor, which means that the company does not purchase debt from other companies. Instead, the company directly issues store-branded credit cards and pursues consumers when they fail to pay their bills. The company currently issues more than 142 store-branded credit cards for some of the biggest retailers in the country. Major retail partners include Amazon, Lowe’s, TJX Companies, JCPenney, Sam’s Club, PayPal Credit, Verizon and CareCredit, among others.
One of the reasons some people are confused about why GE Money is calling them at the phone number 866-771-1104 is because the company issues store-branded credit cards. Consumers may have opened a credit card with Amazon or applied for financing through Lowe’s without ever knowing that the company behind the card was actually GE Money. The company is now known as Synchrony Financial.
Consumers who are receiving calls from the phone number 866-771-1104 are likely getting calls about retail credit cards or medical financing through CareCredit. The company tends to pursue retail card debts by placing a high volume of automated calls to consumers.
Consumers who are being pursued for debts related to medical financing may be more complicated because many consumers were not aware of the terms of the deferred interest financing when they agreed to the financing in a medical provider’s office.
Many consumers receiving calls from the phone number do not recognize the company on the other end of the call because they did not realize that Synchrony Bank, formerly GE Money, was the company issuing the store credit card. When the company charges off a debt, that means that the company has already written the debt off and is no longer expecting payment. However, collection activity can continue for years after a debt has been charged off.
Consumer Complaints About 866-771-1104
One consumer on EveryCaller described why she was confused about the calls from 866-771-1104:
This number has called every day, for the past few days. Recorded voice said it is Synchrony Bank re Amazon.com card. They do not ask for anyone by name. I called the number today and got a recorded voice. It said it had matched my phone number with my account and asked for the last four digits of my social security number. No name of who they want this info from. I am certainly not giving out my SS#.
How Often Does 866-771-1104 Call?
Consumers receiving calls from the phone number 866-771-1104 are describing calls from the company as relentless and harassing. The most common complaints about the phone number are that the company is calling too frequently. Many consumers describe receiving three, four or even five calls per day from the phone number. The calls often begin early in the morning and continue into the evening.
One consumer on 800notes described the calls:
This number has been calling me 3-5 per day ranging from 7am to 9pm. They called me 4 times today on Sunday. Sure enough, after reading the comments on another website, I checked and my Amazon Store Credit payment was overdue (they must really need that $25!). Really disappointed that Amazon or GE Money Bank would resort to such measures.
Another consumer described the disruption the calls have caused in her home:
I get this phone number 866-771-1104 every day they call at 830 am then later 3 or 4 more times. I also get calls that shows on my phone Not Provided. I am sick of these phone calls, My husband is in bed and works the night shift I don’t need these stupidity phone calls to wake him up.
Are the Calls from 866-771-1104 Robocalls?
Many consumers receiving calls from 866-771-1104 describe the calls as automated calls. YouMail featured the phone number as its Robocall Spam of the Week and recorded the full automated message. When consumers answer their phones, they often are greeted with dead air or an automated system that places them on hold and then disconnects.
Calls to the Wrong Person
In addition to consumers who are receiving calls about legitimate debts, many consumers receiving calls from the phone number describe calls for the wrong person. Despite telling the caller that they have the wrong number, the calls continue.
One frustrated consumer on 800notes reported:
They call all the time for the wrong person. I told them that they still keep calling 5 times a day and 3 at night sometimes late at night.
Some consumers believe the calls may be part of an identity theft scam. One consumer reported that a caller from the phone number asked for a Social Security number without explaining why they were calling:
I believe it to be an identity theft scam. I, too, was getting calls from 866-771-1104 day and night. I finally used *69. An automated voice asked for the credit number associated with Amazon.com. I put in a fictitious number and a real person picked up and asked for my social security number.
What Are Your Rights Under the FDCPA?
Collection agencies are governed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a federal law that prohibits abusive, deceptive and unfair debt collection practices. Under the FDCPA, collection agencies may not harass or oppress consumers by placing repeated calls with the intent to annoy or harass.
Additionally, debt collectors may not call consumers before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. unless the consumer has given permission for the calls.
Debt collectors also may not threaten consumers with arrest or jail time or claim to be government representatives or attorneys if they are not. Finally, debt collectors may not contact a consumer’s employer about a debt unless the employer has given permission for the contact.
In addition to the FDCPA, debt collectors are also governed by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which prohibits companies from using automated telephone dialing systems or prerecorded messages to call cell phones without prior express consent. Three separate class action lawsuits over illegal robocalls resulted in an additional $12.5 million in settlements.
Do You Really Owe the Debt?
Just because someone is calling and saying you owe a debt does not mean that you actually owe the money. Sometimes information is transferred incorrectly during the credit reporting process, resulting in the wrong consumer being pursued for a debt. Other times, accounts are mixed up, resulting in the wrong balance or debt being reported.
Even if a debt is legitimate, sometimes the balance is incorrect or includes fees or interest that should not be part of the debt. The burden should always be on the collector to verify a debt, rather than the consumer to disprove it.
How to Stop the Calls from 866-771-1104
Blocking the phone number 866-771-1104 may stop the calls temporarily, but the calls will not stop permanently until the underlying debt is addressed. If the debt is listed on your credit report, the collection agency has the right to continue pursuing you for the debt.
One way to address calls from 866-771-1104 is to dispute the underlying debt that is causing the calls. The most effective way to do this is to file a dispute directly with the credit reporting agencies. When you dispute a debt with the credit reporting agencies, the collection agency must verify the debt is legitimate or remove it from your report.
To verify a debt, the collector must provide documentation that proves the debt is yours, the amount is accurate and the company has the right to pursue you for the debt. Many consumers find that when they dispute a debt, the collection agency is unable to provide the necessary documentation or the debt is found to be invalid.
If the calls from 866-771-1104 are part of a legitimate debt, disputing the account through the credit reporting agencies is a way to force the collection agency to verify the debt before it can continue collection activity. However, if the calls from the phone number are part of a scam or the debt is not yours, disputing the debt through the credit reporting agencies can help you get the calls to stop permanently.
Get a Free Consultation
Before deciding how to proceed, it may help to get a free consultation from a consumer advocacy company. During a free consultation, you can learn more about what is on your credit report, which items may be inaccurate or invalid and how to proceed. There is no cost or obligation for a free consultation.
Receiving calls from debt collectors can be stressful and overwhelming, but you do not have to face the calls alone.
At FightCollections.com, we specialize in disputing inaccurate, unverifiable and otherwise unfair items from consumer credit reports. We know the tactics that companies like GE Money use to pursue consumers for debts and we know how to challenge those tactics.
Contact us today to find out how we can help you stop the calls from 866-771-1104 for good.
