Portfolio Recovery Associates

Referencing the legal sites was done to provide an alternative means to learn about the situation. In my friend's case, it is very important to know that PRA most likely cannot produce evidence at trial it actually owns the debt. And the website makes clear their examples come from Alabama courts. Apologize if you thought the posting was a legal plug, but again had dinner with my friend last night and it was very important to her strategy that PRA cannot,[or will not take the time to search for the assignment/ownership documents]  produce documents showing actual ownership. Next time I'll remember to not provide attorney websites.  Every time I've sent the 30-day validation letter, all I get back is a copy of the last statement, and certainly never any proof the debt buyer actually owns the debt. Of course they aren't required to produce those documents when responding to the validation letter. In sum, thank you for pointing out that  it's best practice on this site to not provide attorney names and websites.

A commentor "Mark" in another thread had close to the same story as you when linking to the same attorney site. The post was made four days after yours, almost to the same minute. You'll forgive me if I don't find that coincidental. Admin later agreed with me and killed the post, but an orphaned follow-on remains.

https://800notes.com/forum/ta-a56098ccda6c9ee ... tion-activities

Lack of "paper" documenting a debt portfolio is hardly unique to PRA or Midland or LVNV or other popular debt buyer targets. Junk debt collection is not unlike speculative investment. The price to play is low, the agencies know they aren't collecting on everything, and they win handsomely even if they only clear 50% of face value. They make table bets that the Bully and Bluff routine will more than overcome their unwillingness or inability to obtain proof of claim when demanded.

Below I've linked but a few noncommercial articles and reports which discuss the practice of collection, in and out of court, on meager, defective, and missing documentation. If you hunt down material on how messy foreclosure cases have been handled the past few years, you will see many parallels. None of this makes a "eureka" moment for the fifty-odd consumer law firms I have found spamming complaint websites within the same period.

The Structure and Practices of the Debt Buying Industry  [press release]
http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases ... -industry-finds

Banks Face Official Backlash Against Card Debt Collection Practices
http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/178_12/b ... &nopagination=1

The Debt Machine: How the Collection Industry Hounds Consumers and Overwhelms Courts
http://www.nclc.org/images/pdf/pr-reports/debt-machine.pdf  [PDF]

'Robo' Credit Card Suits Menace Banks
http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/177_20/r ... &nopagination=1

Repairing A Broken System: Protecting Consumers in Debt Collection Litigation and Arbitration  [press release]
http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases ... -litigation-and

You're not required to respond at all, but you'll have to make contact to end the calls to places and at times you deem inconvenient, and preserve your rights in general. Getting your demands out on paper via USPS Certified will work much better with an agency of this low caliber.

you just got a get of debt card played , you can prosecute them for discussing your debt with someone other than the debtor ,  contact an attorney , some online will not charge you for the help

Debt collection, the worst way to make a living.

Thank you for this.

Just a reminder that PRA is a horrible company to do work for. Don't be fooled they have no idea how to find people or your car. They depend on us to come up the answers to their problems at no cost to them . They will fight you tooth and nail when its time for payment . That bag of vomit Jack West will push your company into a law suit . For all you start up Repo companys don't sell out for these people , turn them away . Fuel and effort are far to valuable to waste on a bunch of Clowns.

Portfolio Recovery had over $8,000,000.00 in law suits last year--they haven't paid and are still in business--fair debts practices has failed to stop them--go figure !!

I'm failing to see what that double-posted remark has do with mine from 3.5 years ago. Please cite your source which says that PRA has paid nothing in civil judgments or in quiet settlements for all of 2013.

Laws on a page cannot stop anyone, go figure. They need to be invoked, and by more than the meager percentage of qualified citizens who bother to become FDCPA plaintiffs, before junk debt hustles become too costly for PRA to maintain its attraction to investors.

As long as that debt is not paid you are still responsible for it. They may not can sue you but they can keep hitting your credit report so that it keeps dropping your score. I'm known for doing that. Pay your bill

YEH, Right. Scammers.  I dealt with them over a debt that did not belong to me. When I sent the 6 page validation request, gee, I never heard from them again. Golly, wonder why? Creeps.

They can't collect against SSDI or SSI, period. Only the Feds can for back taxes and child support.

Maybe you should practice what you preach.

Indeed? (/sarcasm). Well, we are also known for turning in bottom feeders (such as yours), to the IRS who submit bogus 1099-C's on unvalidated debts....

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Oh really?  And exactly what "debts" are you referring to?

Admit it.  Most of you bottom-feeding so-called "collectors" don't even know or care if a debt is paid or not, or if there ever was a debt in the first place.  That's why, when someone sends you a validation request, you can't even produce it.  All you have is someone's personal contact information (which you bought from another bottom-feeder) and a supposed "application" for a loan which they may or may not have taken out.  You couldn't care less whether it's a valid debt or not.  You just want to pimp people for whatever you can squeeze out of them with your bogus scare tactics.  

Oh, and as far as your bogus claim that one is still responsible for a debt as long as it is not paid, allow me to enlighten you on a little thing called the Statute of Limitations:

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/ ... ld-debts-1.aspx

Wrong place to bring your shtick pal!  We have Google, and we're not afraid to use it!