Northstar Location Services: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

Northstar Location Services, LLC; The Northstar Companies; Northstar Location Services, Inc.

Headquarters

Cheektowaga, NY

Phone numbers it lists

(716) 817-6770, (877) 630-6700

Website

thenorthstarcompanies.com

236 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Northstar Location Services, LLC from November 13, 2023 to November 12, 2026. A complaint is a consumer's account, not a finding that the company broke the law. Read the complaints in the CFPB database.

Who Is Northstar Location Services?

Northstar Location Services, LLC does business as The Northstar Companies. According to its website, it was established in 2001 by people who previously owned Great Lakes Collection Bureau, Inc. and North American Capital Corporation, and it describes itself as a third-generation organization. It became a certified women-owned business (WBENC) in August 2009.

Its U.S. office is at 4285 Genesee Street, Cheektowaga, New York 14225. A wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, Northstar Location Services, Inc., opened in June 2012 at 350 Bertie Street in Fort Erie, Ontario. The company lists (716) 817-6770 and toll-free (877) 630-6700, with Spanish-language help on the toll-free line, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. Its payment and account site is gotonls.com.

Why Northstar Location Services May Be Contacting You

Northstar describes its services as first- and third-party debt collection, customer care programs and "location services." In the collection industry, location work generally means finding current contact information for account holders a creditor can no longer reach. Northstar refers to "global clients" but does not name them or the kinds of debts it handles, so the letter or call itself is your best guide. Look for the name of the original creditor and the account number; that tells you which of your accounts is involved. If a collector reaches out to a relative or neighbor while trying to find you, federal law limits what it may say (see below).

How to Check a Debt Northstar Location Services Says You Owe

When the agency's clients aren't public, the first step is simply figuring out whose debt this is.

• Get the validation notice. It must give the creditor's name, an account number and an itemized amount (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). If you only got a call, ask that the notice be mailed.
• Dispute in writing within the stated period. If you don't recognize the creditor, say so, and ask for the original account documents.
• Ask who owns the account today. An account can pass from the lender to a debt buyer and then to an agency like Northstar.
• Check the balance against your statements. Ask for an explanation of any interest or fees added after charge-off.
• Consider the statute of limitations. Texas generally sets four years to sue on a consumer debt (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers may not sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Other states have different deadlines.

What Northstar Location Services Can and Can't Do

An agency that collects consumer debts for others is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Under the FDCPA and Regulation F:

• When it contacts other people to locate you, it may ask only for your address, phone number and workplace, may not mention that you owe a debt, and usually may contact each person only once (15 U.S.C. § 1692b). See whether a collector can contact your family or employer.
• It may not call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your time without your consent (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a)(1)).
• It may not call more than seven times in seven days about one account before harassment is presumed (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
• You can tell it in writing to stop contacting you (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c)); see how to stop the calls.

We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Northstar Location Services. For more on your options, visit our FDCPA attorneys page.

We Sue Debt Collectors That Break the FDCPA

Texas Debt Law files Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits against debt collectors in federal court for consumers in Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado. If Northstar Location Services or anyone collecting for it harassed you, misstated what you owe, threatened action it could not take, or told others about your debt, you may have a claim. A court can order a collector that violated the FDCPA to pay your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, and your attorney's fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). An FDCPA claim generally must be filed within one year of the violation (§ 1692k(d)), so keep your letters, call logs, voicemails and screenshots, and talk to us early. Texas residents may also have claims under the Texas Debt Collection Act. Learn more from our FDCPA attorneys.

Free FDCPA Case Review(214) 851-2250

Or start your free case evaluation online. No lawyer can promise a result; every claim depends on its facts and proof.

Sources

• The Northstar Companies: home page
• The Northstar Companies: About us
• CFPB enforcement actions search: Northstar
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Northstar Location Services, LLC, debt collection

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Northstar Location Services has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.