5103551780

If you have a car repoed it gets sold at auction.  If the auction amount does not satisfy the debt plus costs you still owe.

Another variation of the theme I noticed here is calls from these numbers asking for a variation of my name. As an example, my name may be John Smith. I get calls from these people asking for James Smith, Jerry Smith etc.

Always a name that starts with a J and ends with Smith. I calmly tell the person on the other end in a nice courteous tone what's going on. The calls stop for several weeks until the debt package is sold to another company and I tell the rep the same thing. The cycle keeps on.

I'm wondering how many of you are actually getting calls for YOU or just some variation of the your name. Answer the phone and you may be surprised they're not looking for you....

A lot of useful information, thanks everyone. I've been laid off from 3 jobs in the past 2 years and no
Luck finding a good job. I have debts I owe on, one being my school loan, and would pay back. However, if it comes to deciding on paying my rent, eating, insurance, I'll choose them first. The whole economy is doing bad right now and people are having to make the same decisions.
As for the name calling! Grow up and try acting like adults. People check these posts for information that will help them, not belittle them or make them feel like crap. Adults need only reply.

Thank You.

Numerous numbers, though the pace has slowed.  When I checked my yearly free credit reports, I noticed Portfolio's also did two "soft" checks through one of the companies.  Any active debts I have are being handled in an amicable manner with other companies.  If Portfolio officials believe any ancient debt (I had a Sears card in the late '80s and early '90s) is valid, send me a letter — presumably it now has my address.

Unless I recognize the phone number on my caller ID, I do not answer the call and check it on sites such as this one.  They always seem to come up with Portfolio.

To the agent who responded to Mr. Smart: bless your heart; I'm sure you get a lot of hell from the people to whom you speak.  You must have more mental strength than most of us.

I received a call from this number too.  The calls are down to once per day but it used to be 4 times a day so either they figured out that I don't answer phone calls from numbers I don't recognize or I just don't answer calls.  Either way is fine with me because the SOL is 6 years.

Portfolio Recovery is very, very sneaky.  They have called me using the 510-355-1780 number; however, they also tried calling me from 305-355-1780 which is a Miami, Florida area code, but the same phone number.  The caller ID showed this call as coming from Jackson Memorial Hospital which is located in Miami.  When I tried to call the 305 number back, it just rang and rang and no one answered.  I wonder if it is legal for Portfolio to use another company/organization's name on caller ID when the number belongs to Portfolio?

I want my number taken off of  your call list.

Bush bailed them out nimrod!

No, they CANNOT call "forever" if you send them a cease communication letter informing them you are aware of your rights, the alleged debt is beyond the SOL in your state, you do NOT owe it, you are NOT paying it and they are to STOP calling. If they continue calling or take you to court anyway, you will use whatever legal means that are at your disposal to protect yourself.

If I don't recognize the phone number of caller ID, I don't answer. If they leave a message, and I know the called, I call back. Most times, these scum don't even leave a message. No loss on my part! I don't want to talk to them anyway!

NCO is legit, my bank account went to them when it got charged off.  I went to the bank and they call TD Banks Debt recovery and told me my account is now with NCO.

It's a bunch of scam artists called Portfolio Recovery Services. They try to collect on already closed/paid off accounts!

Do not answer or give any info, or they can reopen your account. I did as someone else noted, took my name off voicemail and just used # - then they can't even leave you a message, because they don't know if it's you.

Pay your debts.

If you don't want to receive calls from these "people" get a free Google Voice account.  Set your voice mail number to be your Google Voice number. (From your land line, cell phone, etc...)  Now when they call simply log in to http://voice.google.com/ and find the number that called you.  Click on BLOCK.  Now when they call they will receive a tri-tone disconnect.  As they call from another number, BLOCK, rinse and repeat as necessary!

Eventually they will run out of phone numbers before Google runs out of disk space storing the numbers you want blocked.

Fighting technology with technology!

Receiving multiple calls from these jerks using several different numbers, including 510-355-1780, 603-214-9042, 626-209-2241, and others.  Claiming I owe a debt that I do not owe, refuses to provide any specifics, etc.

[removed:lang]  I'm an attorney.  I do this for a living.  You are giving people the wrong information.  Look it up.  You're right - they can only be required to stop calling if you send a C&D letter.  IF you don't, they CAN CALL YOU FOREVER.  the SOL MEANS NOTHING as to whether you owe the debt, you will always, ALWAYS owe it.  ALL it does is run the time for them to bring suit against you in court to recover the debt.  Threatening "legal action" that isn't even legal - as in, suing them for calling you for a debt you actually owe, as you advise here, is also illegal!  The worst kind of client to get on these is one who has done something stupid like you have, and then I can't protect them because they've ruined it for themselves.  STOP POSTING INCORRECT INFORMATION.  If you want to see what the laws are, go look them up.  Telling any creditor that a debt is beyond the SOL does NOTHING! These people buy these old debts on purpose, because they bank on the fact that people are too lazy to actually send a registered or certified C&D letter to get them to stop.  It doesn't even matter if you do that much - they just sell it to the next guy who can then start all over, and you'll once again have to resubmit another C&D.  You cannot TELL them to stop calling.  It has to be in writing, or they're not bound to it.  They cannot take you to court if the SOL is expired, unless you say something stupid an d renew the tolling of the limitation - which in some states has to be in writing, but I don't think that's the case in every state.  The best thing to do is to ask for their information as soon as they call - do not say a word until they tell you their name, the company, the address and then the phone number.  HAlf the time they'll hang up right there.  If you KNOW it's them calling, answer the phone with a fake name and say it's being recorded: "This is Bonnie on a recorded line, who's calling?"  If they call you a lot, Wait until they get halfway through answering your questions about name, address, phone # and then they'll start asking "who are you again?" and you THEN say it, which scares them because then their info is on record (at least, that's what they think).  Most states allow calls to be recorded as long as only one person is aware of the recording - check your own state to be sure if you are actually recording.  IF they're doing something wrong, nail them for it.  But do not listen to idiots like this guy.  If you listen to him, you will ruin a lot of your chance to recover even if they are doing something wrong.  Look up the law for yourself.  It's spelled out clearly.  DON'T TALK.

They may not be on your report anymore after 7 years, unless they get a judgment against you, which is longer in most states, but they can still call you to collect on it until you send them a cease and desist letter.  It doesn't have to be fancy, but make sure you send it via registered mail (you want the little green card back signed by them, because if you find them calling you again after that, you then go to small claims court and that little green card is your only proof).  All it has to say is "Do not call, write, or otherwise communicate with me any further," and include your name and address and phone number that you want no more communication coming to.  Keep in mind, though, that they can re-sell your debt to someone else who can start calling, and you'll have the same recourse against that company as well.

I normally say to work with creditors when you don't actually owe something, because many times if you're nice to them, they're nice back, and lots of them want to help people who have been wrongly accused of owing in those cases.  But these guys have been calling me about my fiance's ex-wife's debts (not enough of a slap in the face that she has any debts that are tied to my fiance, but that they keep calling me and being nasty with me as if I have something to hide) - I have been pleasant and given them every info I have on this lady, tell them I only saw her once, and that was 8 years ago, they have a legally binding dissolution order where she was stuck with her debts and he was stuck with his which we paid off, and still none of that matters.  They are just as nasty with me as if I was a scumbag non paying debtor who took the goods and ran.  Whatever....  you can't win with these people. I know that if you owe something you can send a desist letter, but what if it's just not you and they won't leave you alone???  Leaving your name off your voicemail is a good idea, I hadn't thought of that.

to the people who said these debt collectors can call forever that is very true. i mean if some one owed you money im sure you would not let it go. but there are many things you can do to prevent it first pay your bills and maybe these people wont harrass you forver. i have debt and im willing to admit it.
but you could change your phone number although some people claim that they still got called which i have no idea how. you can write the company a letter stating you want them to stop. they told me once that if i wanted the calls and letters to end i would have to put it in writing to them in a paper letter. im with most you people here who find it wrong to bother people all the time but we can stop it otherwise they will call forever until the debt it paid back. these people buy old debts and try to get the money from us who dont pay our bills. good luck to you all here. atleast im not alone in dealing with these people. but you will get your credit back in 7 years from the time it was messed up which is a good sign to look at.

Mean-spirited, nasty and hateful, aren't we? Where did you get your law degree from? Dakow?

You and Alfalfa are not strictly in disagreement. Alf's statement did not advocate making huffy threats in the cease-comm, only that such measures could be considered if the cease-comm is broken and/or the collector files suit. It also does not resort to insults to press its point.

I think it's your own advice which is reckless in part. Lying about recording a live collector call would make excellent fodder to help their case if the truth comes out in discovery. It would be simpler to just roll tape quietly. In August 2010 the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that single party consent is just peachy for recording the phone person-to-person, so long as your intent is not in some way criminal or malicious. Let the collector decide how far to stray from FTC regs, and let a judge or arbitrator decide what's admissable.

It is also a faulty blanket statement to assert "you will always owe" what is claimed. That is not for any of us standing outside a dispute to decide. Also a precious few states have a Statute of Repose which extinguishes debt the moment SoL is reached. Technically a collector can file suit any time and win a judgment for a time-barred account if the consumer fails to raise SoL as a defense.

Saying no more than what's necessary to request validation or impose a cease-comm is certainly recommended. Instructing the collectors how not to violate laws they should already have learned forward, backward, and diagonally amounts to unsound tactics.