757-215-2332

Dead family member debt collection attempt

I just changed my phone number so I have a new number. Whoever had this number before me owed more than a few ppl. If they would leave a voicemail, I could check to see if they were calling for me or the person who had this number before me. Any professional debt collector would leave some sort of message.

Scammers / Spammers

Same problem as another person....I have a "new" phone number that formerly belonged to someone who didn't pay their bills.  I have received an avalanche of calls from this collection agency, almost all using different telephone numbers.  I get off one list in one location, only to pop up on another list in another office.  I finally resorted to blocking everyone except my trusted contacts.  It's a hassle, but maybe at some point in time, Portfolio will remove my number from their data banks.

You should answer the call and tell them that you are not the person they are calling for and that they are not to call or contact you whatsoever again. If they do, sue them!!!

You should answer the call and tell them that you are not the person they are calling for and that they are not to call or contact you whatsoever again. If they do, sue them!!!

I called and told them the person they are looking for owned the cell phone number prior to me and they removed me from the call list.

No message left, they call almost daily.  No outstanding debits nor does any business have this cell phone #. Another one of those robo callers.

Call from company named Portfolio Recovery.  They call from many different names and numbers and states.  No message is left.   This number from Virginia.  I use 800 notes to see who is calling and if I don't know them and they don't leave a message, I block them.

Instead of blocking the number, you should be doing what the law allows you to do, sending them a certified cease and desist letter or validate the debt letter.  Everything you need to know follows, read it carefully, and loook what that woman got when she stood up to these criminals:

PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES AKA PRA
Good news, they got slapped hard for 82 million recently:  http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article21073359.html

Posted in:
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-757-952-1847

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-205-588-7043

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-213-443-8792

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-518-312-4713#p837986669093189763

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-620-708-4824

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-620-708-4838

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-620-860-0202

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-678-265-3904

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-678-265-3904#p838638260960715968

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-714-699-3172

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-731-256-6891#p835242346866394674

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-731-256-7209

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-731-256-9336

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-757-215-1948

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-757-320-1591

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-757-506-0177/11

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-757-946-1151

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-772-1413/47

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-817-479-9154

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-817-500-4360/3

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-844-546-4261

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-847-915-4056/2

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-858-568-7619

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-859-586-9557/9#p836803096131764013

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-423-1568

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-423-5021/2

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-519-8330

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-914-595-7031/10

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-954-606-9402/4

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-954-606-9402/5

 https://800notes.com/forum/ta-2a4cf0cd3a9e0dd ... very-associates
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-847-737-4347
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-404-909-8732/2
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-851-9631/16
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-757-215-2332

Web page with contact information:  http://www.portfoliorecovery.com/contact_us.html
Make sure you read how they just lost an 83 million dollar lawsuit against them:  http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article21073359.html

Make sure you read how the NY AG spanked them bad on May 1, 2014 in the following BBB page.

BBB page with 1,308 complaints, a government action from the State of New York, and yet they get an A- rating?  http://www.bbb.org/norfolk/business-reviews/d ... olk-va-51000164
Bizapedia has them as a Delaware Corporation started in 2007 as opposed to the information on the BBBB page that says 1996:
http://www.bizapedia.com/de/PORTFOLIO-RECOVERY-LLC.html
http://www.bizapedia.com/addresses/120-CORPOR ... K-VA-23502.html

Other complaint sites:
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/portfolio-recovery-associates-c275360.html
http://www.creditreportproblems.com/Portfolio_Recovery_Associates_LLC.htm

Cases against PRA:
http://www.leagle.com/decision/In%20FDCO%2020130416695
http://www.prweb.com/releases/Class-Action/Lawsuit/prweb5253574.htm
http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district- ... 2707/228930/60/
http://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/casdce/3:2015cv00768/471398
http://www.bigclassaction.com/lawsuit/portfol ... olations-of.php
http://leagle.com/decision/In%20FDCO%20201409 ... SOCIATES,%20LLC
http://dockets.justia.com/docket/illinois/ilndce/1:2015cv02765/308374
http://www.creditreportproblems.com/pennsylva ... -practices-act/
http://www.creditreportproblems.com/portfolio ... cpa-violations/
http://designertoday.com/News/6736/Reader.Get ... .Prejudice.aspx
http://dockets.justia.com/search?query=PORTFOLIO+RECOVERY+ASSOCIATES%2C+LLC
http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/14a0266p-06.pdf
http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2012/12/28/11-56600.pdf
http://statesboro.biz/News/702/Class-Action-L ... f-The-TCPA.aspx
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/USCOURTS-mie ... 1_12-cv-11526-2
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/USCOURTS-kye ... 5_13-cv-00147-0
And a CFPB case about a lawyer who works for PRA.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/ ... ction-lawsuits/
Some more interesting reading:

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Rebuild ... /td-p/8653

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/09/portfol ... dial-proof

http://www.creditreportproblems.com/Por ... es_LLC.htm

"PRA may also sometimes make harassing calls and send out threatening letters. In some cases they may have your information by mistake ~ so they are sending the WRONG PERSON collection notices!"

http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pd ... 66p-06.pdf

TCPA Class Action Suit against:
http://statesboro.biz/News/702/Class-Ac ... -TCPA.aspx

Mentioned here among other bottom feeding criminal DC's:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ ... story.html

Lawsuit against them:

http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-sett ... iolations/

They were  listed among the worst offenders on the late Bud Hibb's site!

Federal law (FDCPA) requires them to send you a letter (US MAIL ONLY) within 5 days of their first contact that contains their name, physical address, the creditor’s name, and the amount of the alleged debt.  It also must contains “mini-Miranda” telling you that it is an attempt to collect a debt and that all information will be used for those purposes.  The one other important thing that this letter must also have in it is that you have a right to dispute the debt within 30 days of the date of the letter and if you do so, all collection activity must be stopped until the debt is verified.
Read up on your rights here, get template letters to send and also make a complaint at this government site:  http://www.consumerfinance.gov/
Also file a complaint with your State Attorney General's office.
List of State AG’s offices:  http://consumerfraudreporting.org/stateattorneygenerallist.php
File a complaint at the NY State AG's Office here:  http://www.ag.ny.gov/

To File complaints FDCPA/TCPA violations:
Your State Attorney General
Their State Attorney general
www.naag.org (you can find your state AG at this link).
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#&panel1-1
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/
http://www.rcfp.org/reporters-recording-guide/state-state-guide
http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/recording-phone-calls-and-conversations
Also with the BBB and follow completely through with it.
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/haunted-phantom-debt
Seek a FDCPA/TCPA Attorney if need be.
***A company must be licensed in their state as well as the one they are trying to collect in if two different states are involved.

Some Tips:
*Keep all messages
*Take a picture of your Caller ID
*Keep any and all conversations recorded to your states recording laws, some require they be told, others do not. This can be transferred to a recording device.
*Keep a notebook handy for writing time,date, who you spoke with and what the conversation detailed.

https://800notes.com/arts/Jb8EW-eDhQA/harassi ... ou-need-to-know
See Residents post here also:
https://800notes.com/forum/ta-34af6a034ba34b6/unending-collection-calls
Templates of Letters:
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-319-242-7350

http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpajump.shtm
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/search ...
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0149-debt-collection
*Check your SOL for your state as well.
*Attorneys need to be licensed as a DC to collect, all DC's must be licensed in their state as well as yours if different.
http://www.insideedition.com/investigative/93 ... debt-collectors

} Any professional debt collector would leave some sort of message.

You would like to think so, but many do not for fear of FDCPA lawsuits, due to that law's frustrating conflict between disclosure and privacy concerns. Luckily PRA's address is not hard to find.

PRA controls a large volume of phone numbers, many obtained from a long defunct phone carrier. Their many numbers outgun your one recycled number. Rather than sit and hope that PRA never finds cracks in your blocking scheme, you can break them at the knees through Certified Mail, while setting a legal trap.

My advice for "not me" cases is found here:
https://800notes.com/forum/ta-34af6a034ba34b6/unending-collection-calls

} doing what the law allows you

Absolutely. People targeted by a junk debt buyer have a clear choice to become victims or to offer resistance. The JDBs and the greasy lawyers they hire make all their profit from alleged debtors who lay back and do nothing. Those compliant victims are simply made easier to isolate when the junk agency's many not-quite-mistaken "wrong number" calls are merely blocked and ignored.

Put another way, the junk debt industry expects a high return for very little effort. Years back I read that the street value of a junk debt portfolio plummets when better than three percent of its named alleged debtors have raised a proper dispute. This I never confirmed, but it does ring true. The lesson here is to make JDBs work for their prizes, and start actively resisting them from Day One. Usually they cannot or will not prove their claims. When challenged most give up collecting early, often not before they've committed sufficient consumer law violations to be named as defendants by their would-be victims.

Also,  they would lose the element of surprise which would give people time to think and/or research.

The question was raised in the forum threads "Why are they still in business?".  This is why, because people do not take the initiative to do something to help themselves.  They think that an e mail sent to these criminals is enough, what, write a letter?  What is a letter?  Sending out a real letter telling the DC to validate the debt works wonders.  Simply because they can't and then they stop calling.  If they do call, then the next step is to sue them.  Considering where I live, it could get very costly for them, much more than the $1000 FDCPA limit.

Got a phone call from this number (Portfolio Recovery). I did owe money, but I paid this debt off. I have the confirmation number of when I paid it off and have given it to them. Not sure why they are still calling me. Portfolio, go bother someone who hasn't paid their debt off. You already have my money. Screw off!

The people at Portfolio Recovery are genuine bottom feeders of debt collection industry. They buy old statute expired debt and through harassment tactics try to collect 10 to 30 cents on the dollar. Of course the minute anything is collected, the statute date resets to day 1 and their other outfits and ambulance chasers come after you. If you have noticed their letter of settlement is only for the debt with them, not original debtor or the next place they sell it to. The only way to fight these guys is to get with your state authorities. These guys know all the Federal loopholes.

Didn't answer but keep getting random numbers calling (such as this one) and when I add it to my auto reject list, a different one comes up next time.

} The only way to fight these guys is to get with your state authorities.

Really? You mean you have no laws with private right of action so you can mop your own messes?

FDCPA § 1692k. Civil liability
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1692k

} These guys know all the Federal loopholes.

..... whatever that meant. Junk debt buyers know what the laws say but they violate early and often, and not through "loopholes".

} not original debtor

There is no "original debtor", as alleged debtors generally cannot transfer their contracts or accounts to another consumer. There is an original creditor, the lender of the funds to which a debtor owes until the account is sold.