Sunrise Credit Services: Who They Are and How to Dispute a Sunrise Collection

Sunrise Credit Services is a real collection agency based in Melville, New York. Companies hire it to collect unpaid bills for them, and in SmartDispute’s data every Sunrise collection was a phone, cable, or internet bill from AT&T, Spectrum, or Comcast.

If Sunrise Credit Services called you or appears on your credit report, this guide covers who Sunrise is, who it collects for, how its accounts appear on each credit report, the problems worth checking, and how to dispute a Sunrise collection that’s wrong.

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What Is Sunrise Credit Services?

Sunrise Credit Services, Inc. describes itself as an accounts receivable management firm that acts on behalf of many creditors, and says it has been in the industry since 1974 (Sunrise Credit Services). It’s based in Melville, on Long Island.

Sunrise is an agency, not a debt buyer:

• The original company, such as your phone or cable provider, still owns the debt. Sunrise collects on its behalf.
• Sunrise can settle only within the limits that company allows.
• The company can take the account back and send it to another agency, which can create a second collection account for the same bill.

Our article on the most common debt collectors explains how agencies and debt buyers differ.

Is Sunrise Credit Services Legit?

Yes. Sunrise is a real collection agency, and a Sunrise collection on your credit report is a real account reported by a real furnisher. That doesn’t mean every detail is right, or that every call or text using its name is genuine.

• Check your credit reports. A real Sunrise collection normally appears there with an original creditor you’ll recognize, most often a phone, cable, or internet company.
• Expect a validation notice. A collector must send you validation information about the debt, either in its first contact or within five days.
• Call the company you owe directly if you’re unsure. Because the phone or cable company still owns the debt, it can confirm whether it sent your account to Sunrise.
• Use the contact details on Sunrise’s own website, listed below, rather than a number or link from an unexpected call or text.

If someone claiming to be Sunrise threatens arrest or demands payment by gift card or wire, treat it as a scam. Our guide to calls about being served papers covers the common scripts.

Who Does Sunrise Credit Services Collect For?

In SmartDispute’s data, Sunrise held 10 collections, all for phone, cable, and internet companies:

Consumer complaints point the same way. Of the 7,212 complaints about Sunrise in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s database, 5,904 were about debt collection. Where the person named the type of debt, 45% were phone and internet bills, 42% “other debt,” and 7% credit cards (CFPB). Complaints aren’t verified by the CFPB. The most common issue, in 41% of them, was an attempt to collect a debt the person said they didn’t owe.

AT&T, Spectrum, and Comcast used several agencies in our data, including TrueAccord, Harris & Harris, and I.C. System. If you see two agencies on your report for the same bill, only one should show a balance.

What SmartDispute’s Data Shows About Sunrise Credit Services

SmartDispute looked at the first credit report of 591 members, pulled before any disputes. For Sunrise:

• 10 members, about 2% of everyone in the data, had a Sunrise collection. None had more than one.
• The median balance was $526. 44% were under $500, and the largest was about $2,200.
• 70% appeared on all three credit reports, above the 55% average for all collections.
• Accounts typically reached Sunrise about five months after the first missed payment.
• Most were recent. Nine of the 10 were placed with Sunrise in 2024 or 2025.

How Does Sunrise Credit Services Appear on Your Credit Report?

Each bureau shows Sunrise a little differently:

A few things that confuse people:

• “SUNRISECRED” at TransUnion. The run-together name is Sunrise Credit Services. TransUnion lists a Farmingdale, New York, address, while the other two bureaus and Sunrise’s website list Melville. Both are Sunrise.
• No name at Equifax. More than half of the Equifax entries for Sunrise in our data showed no collector name. Match the account by original creditor, balance, and dates.
• “Open” and “closed.” Experian lists collections as closed, and TransUnion showed some Sunrise accounts as open and others as closed. That’s a display difference, not an error by itself.
• Date opened. This is the date the account was placed with Sunrise, not the date you opened your phone or cable service.

What Sunrise Credit Services Reporting Problems Should You Check For?

Compare each Sunrise account with your records, with the original company’s final bill, and across all three bureaus:

• The amount. Final phone and cable bills can include equipment charges, early termination fees, and device balances. Check the balance against the final bill and any equipment you returned.
• Two collections for one bill. If another agency also reports the same bill, only one should show a balance.
• Paid but still showing a balance. If you paid Sunrise or the original company, the collection should show $0. Include your proof of payment in the dispute.
• Delinquency date. The date of first delinquency should match when you first missed a payment to the original company, not the date Sunrise received the account.
• Not yours. Identity theft, a mixed credit file, or service opened in your name without permission. That was the most common issue in CFPB complaints about Sunrise.

How Do You Dispute a Sunrise Credit Services Collection?

1. Request validation. If you’ve just been contacted, you have about 30 days from receiving the validation notice to dispute the debt with Sunrise in writing. The collector must stop collecting until it responds. Sunrise says it works with its client to resolve disputes and forwards validation from the creditor.
2. Dispute with each bureau reporting the error. Name the specific problem, such as a wrong balance or a duplicate collection, and include copies of your final bill or other proof.
3. Dispute directly with Sunrise by mail at the address on your credit report. Equifax and Experian list 8 Corporate Center Drive, Melville, NY 11747, and Sunrise’s website lists P.O. Box 9004, Melville, NY 11747-9004. Sunrise also takes disputes through its website, but a mailed dispute gives you a record of exactly what you sent and when.
4. Contact the original creditor. Because the phone or cable company still owns the debt, it can correct the balance and tell Sunrise to update the account.
5. Follow up. If the account comes back “verified” without fixing the problem, send a second round with any new evidence 35 days after you mailed the first.

Our guide to disputing a collection account covers each step and what to include in each letter.

Does Sunrise Credit Services Sue?

Sunrise doesn’t publish a policy on lawsuits. As an agency, it collects for the company that owns the debt, and the decision to sue usually belongs to that company. Most Sunrise balances in our data were phone and cable bills under $1,000. If you’re ever served, respond by the deadline in the papers. Our state-by-state statute of limitations guide explains what to do if you’ve been sued.

Should You Pay Sunrise Credit Services?

First, confirm the debt is yours and the amount is right. Then decide:

• Sunrise’s payment center lets you make a payment, propose a payment plan, or make a settlement offer, depending on the account.
• Paying should update the collection to a $0 balance. Sunrise doesn’t publish a policy of deleting accounts once they’re paid.
• If you want the collection removed, ask for deletion as part of the payment and get the agreement in writing before you pay. Because Sunrise collects for the original company, that company’s approval may be needed. Our pay for delete guide covers what the agreement should say.
• Pay through the official channels below or on your letter, and keep proof of every payment.

Sunrise Credit Services Contact Information

These are the details on Sunrise’s contact page and FAQ as of October 2026:

Disputes are best sent in writing, which creates a record of what you asked and when.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sunrise Credit Services?

A collection agency in Melville, New York, in business since 1974, that collects unpaid bills for other companies.

Why is Sunrise Credit Services calling me?

Usually because a company you had an account with placed an unpaid bill with Sunrise. In our data, that was most often a final AT&T or Spectrum bill.

Who does Sunrise Credit Services collect for?

Many companies. In our data, it collected for AT&T, Spectrum, and Comcast.

Is Sunrise Credit Services a scam?

No. It’s a real collection agency. Verify any call or text through sunrisecreditservices.com or 800-645-9824 before you pay.

What is the Sunrise Credit Services phone number?

800-645-9824, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern.

Will Sunrise remove a collection if I dispute it?

Only if the information can’t be verified or is shown to be wrong. A dispute that names a specific error and includes proof has the best chance.

What’s the Next Step?

Pull your three credit reports and find every Sunrise account, including any with no collector name at Equifax: the original creditor, the balance, the dates, and the status at each bureau. Then compare the balance with the original company’s final bill. Anything that’s wrong, or that doesn’t match across reports, is worth disputing.

SmartDispute lays out every collection from all three bureaus side by side, flags the ones with problems, and drafts suggested disputes for you to review, change, and mail yourself. See how SmartDispute works.

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