7312566891

Just called..no msg but it's a debt collector. Portfolio Recover....[***]...leave us all alone...

Read WolfmanJack's post on page one and send them a cease and desist letter by certified, return receipt US mail.

I would love their name and number. I have been getting harassed by this company as well. Thanks for all the help!

Debra,

I too am scared about this, they have old debts from an illegal cash and grab scam which is under investigation from the FTC and the CFPB. I am looking for a lawyer to make a case with as well, but I can't find anyone willing because most of these "agencies" are scams by one or two people out of an office. The last lawyer I had did a trace on a few numbers, and they were actually just stealing numbers to show up on the caller ID and they don't actually belong to them. Any idea where I could find a lawyer willing?

Thanks!
Rikki

I almost died in a car accident 2 1/2 yrs ago, all of my bills got behind, I've taken care of almost all of them, saved the nastiest one for last.  They call me at least twice a day.  Broke a few ribs and had brain trauma, I've been extremely emotionally.  Don't need their crap everyday.

Yes, you are correct.  Looked in to them and they buy debt that sometimes has already been paid or written off and past the statue of limitations.  They are partly funded by the credit bureaus because when they re-enter the system and make efforts to collect such debt, it may go back on your credit report even though technically its past statue or paid.

I just copy the number over to my Verizon call block list.  But nonetheless its a scam...

I ended up getting calls from these guys when I submitted for a credit card after I was having issues with that same place I applied for several years ago. I figured things were okay. But apparently not.. I'm getting calls from these guys almost everyday from different numbers.

PORTFOLIO RECOVERY WILL CALL FROM ALL OF THESE NUMBERS:
731-577-4171
757-251-0504
620-860-1570
205-588-7042
620-860-1573
620-708-4210
731-410-3139
731-256-5140
731-256-6891

Cease and desist letter would be helpful.  Call blocker too, although they call from thousands of different numbers.  They are the T-Rex of US debt collectors--everytime they are fined; it's just the cost of doing business.  And,  they just keep on doing what they do.  I don't know how they get way iwth it.

But, when you're a T-Rex-- you have a lot of  say about a lot of things.

We need stronger laws.

You replied not to Debra but Amy, who clearly is not "scared too". PRA has not hidden itself where process servers cannot find an office. If you have real claims against it, I can't imagine what your "last lawyer" was doing fooling around with phone number tracing. You would only have to go hunting if you're being hassled by a fake debt collector with a vested interest in being mysterious.

For attorney shopping you could try the National Association of Consumer Advocates database. (NACA.net) Be advised it's largely a promotional directory like the phone book and most of its members are bankruptcy paper pushers who make lackluster consumer defenders. Other resources include Justia, Avvo (which just began a TV ad campaign last week), and NCLC in Boston. You might also have a legal clinic or law school nearby to offer referrals. Soon you'll have some names to plug into searches of your state court dockets. Ideally you want to find someone who has actually left her office for debtor defendants *and* FDCPA plaintiffs, and has fought the collectors to a standstill.

Now that you've practiced your no-call request here, deliver it to the actual caller, which does not maintain this site or this web page.

I can believe that PRA made empty threats and improper disclosures and ignored your contact restrictions, all plainly FDCPA violations. I have difficulty believing PRA, a junk debt collector, offered you credit. PRA makes plenty of income from overpriced "settlement" offers and uncontested default judgments and very likely would not want the regulatory oversight which comes with operating as a lender. Let's be very sure who "they" and "them" are before you take any legal action.

Not to crush CWG's toes, but a cease-comm letter can be dangerous if you're said to owe something not yet time-barred. PRA then has the option to sue to collect, and that would be the one option left if you cut off all contact.

One nice feature of the FDCPA is that it bars "inconvenient" contact. You can set limits on when, where, and how an agency tries to collect from you, and you need not explain your reasons. If your recovery time is precious, you could also name another person, not necessarily a lawyer, to communicate on your behalf. (an interesting move given almost no discussion) Notifying the agency of your rules is again a job for Certified Mail with return card. The cool kids like to insert such instructions into their demands for validation, dragging extra value from the USPS fees.

The FDCPA is already quite powerful due to its broad coverage of bad behavior. Its "loser pays" fee-shift provision alone is really unique in Federal law. Its unintended weakness, I suppose for want of better education, is that too few people use it who rightly could. Its other nagging problem is age. Several provisions are overdue for a rewrite, including the "all you can eat" statutory award cap, permitting companies with billion-dollar holdings to violate at bargain 1970s prices. The $1K is worth just under four grand when adjusted for decades of inflation.

Res--
A cease-comm letter can also be dangerous if the alleged debt is time-barred. We found this out in the case of my late BIL, who was being threatened by PRA with a lawsuit over an unvalidated and out-of-statute debt. As soon as they received the cease-comm letter, they retaliated by turning in a 1099-C to the IRS. We immediately disputed their claim. When PRA failed to respond to their demands for documentation to support the 1099-C, they defaulted.

I think I remember this story from another thread. PRA was pulling that bogus 1099 routine for years, and I'm sure it worked on most people, being as bewildered by tax law as their consumer rights.

I'd have thought hard about an FDCPA claim, arguing that the 1099 was an act of oppression, done out of spite. 1692d bars "conduct the natural consequence of which is to harass, oppress, or abuse any person". The "any person" part means that non-debtors are covered. A "natural consequence" is generally something predicted to happen. But since the Act is strict liability, an unintended offense can still violate, as in how naturally your relative might feel burned by an unfair tax liability. PRA could plausibly whine that it was not an act of debt collection, but might not get past "connection with the collection of a debt".

The threat to sue on expired SoL accounts is an easy FDCPA win once the "last activity" date is established. I'd have added the oppression claim just to salt the wound.

In a bogus 1099-C issuance couldn't they also be prosecuted federally under 18 USC 286 and 287 and also 26 USC 7207?  All of those concern filing false tax statememnts to the government and have reasonably decent prison sentences and fines.  When I mean "they" I'm referring to PRA.  I doubt those 1099's are coming from just one person so we could throw in conspiracy as well.

Right. I would have loved to see BIL take PRA to the cleaners, but he was in no condition (physically or emotionally) to do so, as he was battling stage 3 cancer at the time---a fight which he lost shortly thereafter.

They've been successfully sued more times than Walmart and the tobacco companies combined.

I may be wrong but I think you must request written validation before they legally have to honor the 5 day written notice. It is not illegal for them to attempt collections and collect by phone if someone will pay without demanding validation.  That's what these worms count on.