I obtained a credit card via Kmart/Sears and was making my full payments. I have ADD and some other disabilities but have done well with my finances (no mental disabilities in other words). Well, I didn't look at my statement one month and just made the same payment as the month before. Apparently I was $10 short so I was given a late fee. The next month I made my payment in the store (again, not realizing I needed to pay more). When a purchase was denied, I called to find out what happened. I was shocked and upset with myself over my mistake and tried to work something out with the CS person. They told me too bad, so sad and that I need to pay double by Sept 10th, 2011 or I would be charged with another late fee and it would continue until paid current. I explained to her that I have kids, on a restricted income and couldn't afford to pay that and tried to make other arrangements to no avail. I then said fine and we hung up. 10 days later (Aug 24th) I began receiving harassment calls about my need to make payment to bring the account current. I continued to explain to them that I was given until 9/10 and that they had no right to be harassing me 4-6 times a day (auto call then they would pick up at set times). They refused to stop calling and I decided that although it would be defaulted, I simply couldn't make the payment (my kids getting fed and school expenses covered were more important). The calls continued from 8/24 through the end of the year. Then they stopped.
In February 2012, Portfolio Recovery began their calls. I even tried to be nice (without revealing any information pertinent to bank, social security number etc.), explaining to them that I am on Social Security Disability with 4 kids, the circumstances surrounding the debt and the fact that I felt I didn't owe what was claimed but only the original amount as of 8/14/2011 (at that time, I thought maybe I could try to work something out with them and didn't know they were scumbags)....they wanted me to pay them 1.25* what I make in a month within 2 weeks to be cleared of the debt. I told them to stuff it. That I don't have the money and that my kids come first and that harrassing calls were illegal and after 5 months of them, I was not ok with the B.S. they were offering me. I am PROTECTED by FEDERAL LAW from any attempt to garnish my Social Security and yet they threatened to go after my income.
They continued to call me 5-7 times a week for 4 months and then when I threatened to file a complain for harassment calls and  had sent them a notice in May contesting the amount of the debt (they claim they never received it!), they started sending me paperwork every 2-3 weeks and the calls were greatly reduced. I continued to ignore the paperwork since I knew that they had violated my rights. Maybe that wasn't the right thing to do but I had already told them by voice and letter that I disputed the debt and they were harassing me.
Even though Portfolio Recovery have my current phone number and address  (proof is in the call records and paperwork), they somehow managed to find my adult son in S Florida (I live in WA STATE) along with his CELL phone and called him while he was working trying to obtain information about me from him...HOW did they find him? WHY/What right did they have to call him (per Fed Law, they can't contact "Associates" of the account holder EXCEPT to obtain phone and address)?
Yesterday I was "served" with a notice that a legal office was now in charge of collection and a copy of "potential" court paperwork was attached. The letter said that I had 20 days to respond and that if I wanted it "filed with the local court", I would need to inform them in writing....(I consider this a scare tactic and threat of lawsuit which I believe they can do (don't even know if paperwork is real). I'm having nasal surgery tomorrow and so I'm not sure what to do....and does the 10 or 20 days mean business days or total days?

I am now worried that they may try to obtain an improper judgement without serving me along with trying to freeze my bank account which ONLY receives money from SOCIAL SECURITY and is exempt. I don't know what I would do if that happened as I have no one to help me pay bills/late fees/NSF fees for the auto payments I have every month.

they are a debt collector - one of those from hell.
i was told 'enjoy the phone calls' when i refused to settle at the rate they wanted.
they call every month or so - i offer to settle - they refuse.
this time  - the got nasty - ENJOY THE CALLS? are you kidding me?

A big problem is the collectors are calling any "known associates" like family members or friends. That is what is annoying. IN ADDITION, we have had this collector calling on a debt that was disputed with the actually company. WE NEVER had a card with the company and when we told them to show/provide documentation on the card, they said the account was made via computer.  If companies want to allow crooks to order cc over the internet then they get what is coming to them... nothing.  Half the problem is the CC companies that allow individuals (crooks) the availability to steal peoples identity and our government not protecting the individuals with guidelines/regulations/laws to stop identity fraud. Then you get these companies who buy disputed bills, and give you a hard time, down right haunt you even when you tell them this account was in dispute.

if you guys call and think people are going to give their ssn and personal checking account information over a phone to some moron who  says the only way you'll know your account information is to give them your ssn i must say your scamming skills are quite new so before you decide to call me again please don't waste my time i have other more important task to complete in my life then listening to bs

they called my work saying they had file a clamim again me for what scammer

Caller ID: 1-800-383-8013
Caller: Portfolio Recovery Services
Call Type: Debt Collector

These "TROLLS" feed on what is known as "old" debt. Stuff that's been forgotten for years or decades. They buy the old off of lending companies (like credit card/banks) after they have written it off as delinquent. They then pursue the debtor in a attempt to collect the missing funds. Depending on the state, if the ORIGINAL debt is not paid within 3-5 years, the debt is considered (statue of limitations) off the books by U.S. Law. I believe it works something like this:

3 Years for credit cards
5 Years for car loans
7 Years for home loans

Depending on the type of debt, the loaner can pursue you for delinquency by asking you nicely to go on a payment plan to pay off the debt, or they can get NASTY and haul you off to court and sue you for the funds. Most of the time they just sell the paperwork to a collection agency, who then does this for a living in hopes of getting the money from you. The key is to just treat the phone calls as nothing more than a crank call, and admit nothing. If you send them ANY payment after all these years, the debt will begin again, and start all over. If you never paid it off after the statue of limitations, and have never made a single payment after "X" amount of years, then don't worry, there is NOTHING ANYONE can do to you. The only draw back is your credit rating will be trashed for the rest of your life.

Received a call for a subject who is not at this number.  Persistent I was the subject they were looking for and demanding I get in contact with the person in question. To say the least, they were very rude!!!

Time to tell dude, "sure, I wanta come pay this off in person so I know it's done right.....just tell me how to get to you...give me really good directions now cause I don;t wanta miss this opportunity ...say that again now...I am writting it all down....ok...ok...and just what do you look like...how tall, color of your hair, what do you drive, yeah..yeah...ok   ok" "now gotta make sure you still gonna be there when I get there to do this cause  I think I can really trust you.......ok then....yep think I am ready to ride your way right now...just gotta grab BAM BAM!!!!

A person that can treat people like that...especially elderly people ..believe I could just keep chasing them through hell for eternity ...my never ending duty

apparently you have debt. PRA is traded publicly and if you do your research they are licensed in every state.

you should know if you listen there are ways to dispute a debt...but like 99% of the non payers out there ur a dodger

No, the collectors are not the problem, credit is not the problem. the problem is people who avoid the debts they create.
It is very simple. if you are reasonable with a debt collector from a reputable company such as PRA RJM or any company of the sort they will treat you with the same respect as you give them. if you yell and scream because you created a bill and for whatever reason were unable to pay they will be less likely to work with you.

I work for an agency and I am proud to say that I am successful at it. I prey on no one, I talk to people who want to pay, I talk to people who dont want to pay and explain to them the simple truth of my job. I dont care what you say to me or my fellow reps. because simply put your word means nothing to yourself if you cannot follow through with your responsibility

is this a third party collection agency

It's funny how some of their employees will post immature responses to those complaining yet avoid responding when faced with facts about their company's illegal practices and all the lawsuits they're facing.   Any company who sells debt to this operation is a moron and will lose future business as a result.

I wish companies like this would stop buying invalid debt from each other.  Every few months it starts  up with a new company where they are looking for someone not at my number and continue to call even after being told so.  Is there a way to make this stop without me having to change "my" phone number? I've contacted the FTC, BBB and the states AG's with not even a reply back, it's just retarded. I have a company that has called 2-3 times everyday for the past year, after several THOUSAND calls you think it would get old?!

COPY AND PASTE THIS, THEN FILL IN YOUR INFO. THEY WILL NOT BOTHER YOU AGAIN.



Date


Portfolio Recovery Assets
140 Corporate Blvd.
Norfolk, VA  23502


RE:  Acct #


To whom it may concern:

This letter is in regards to my account with ______________.

I am requesting at this time for you to cease telephone communications with me regarding my account.  You can correspond with me via U.S. mail. My address is printed below.  

Any future phone calls I receive at my home or at my work will be reported to the Federal Trade Commission as a violation of my rights according to 15 U.SC. 1692c.    


Sincerely,


Your Name
Address
City, State, Zip

I had the same problem - a debt reported to them in 1999. The problem is that I paid it in 1999 to the original company I owed. I sent Portfolio Recovery a letter saying I'd paid it and they were fine with that. They wanted proof, but who keeps old receipts for 11 years?

Stop smoking crack and writing posts!

Call or write the attorney general's office in Virginia and file a complaint about them.  Nothing will be done until enough people do this.  These leaches will continue their operation as they have for years, if you look at the date of some of these posts.  They must be ripping someone off or they would not still be in operation.  They need to get their butts off their chairs and go out and get legit jobs like the people they are calling have.  My guess is that elderly people or people who might be behind are who are paying them.  It is time to put a stop to it.  Take the time to give them a call or write to them.  That is they only way to make a change.

Office of the Attorney General
900 East Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 786-2071

They don't have to prove anything,until YOU request the proof. So why don't YOU learn the laws before opening your mouth. Directly from the ftc.gov site:

§ 809. Validation of debts
(a) Within five days after the initial communication with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt, a debt collector shall, unless the following information is contained in the initial communication or the consumer has paid the debt, send the consumer a written notice containing?
(1) the amount of the debt;
(2) the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed;
(3) a statement that unless the consumer, within thirty days after receipt of the notice, disputes the validity of the debt, or any portion thereof, the debt will be assumed to be valid by the debt collector;

Your forgeting that YOU are required to request the proof, not the other way around.

§ 809. Validation of debts
(a) Within five days after the initial communication with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt, a debt collector shall, unless the following information is contained in the initial communication or the consumer has paid the debt, send the consumer a written notice containing?
(1) the amount of the debt;
(2) the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed;
(3) a statement that unless the consumer, within thirty days after receipt of the notice, disputes the validity of the debt, or any portion thereof, the debt will be assumed to be valid by the debt collector;

The above note was cut directly off the ftc.gov site. Who's the scumbag now!? Ignoring your debt doesn't make it go away.

Really, name calling how old are you? It really is fustrating to read all these peoples uninformed comments. Please do your homework, before you open your mouth. You're maiking yourself sound pretty stupid.

Are you serious? not all agancies are overseas, and not all debt collectors are horrible people. I worked with a company out of NH, who were extrememly helpful about getting my student loan out of default. It might to remember that they are people to, and they will respond with the same attitude that you give them.

You're the idiot

You really are a scumbag!  Stop trying to con people.  Now where do you live?  What is the name of your company?  Where are they located? Let's see how you feel when the attonery general from the state where you have offices comes a knocking on the door.

How long have you been one of the scum who call people that don't owe money and you know it but try to get money anyway?

I've gotten numerous calls from Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC. about a debt I've never heard of. They claim i took out the debt in 1999 but never paid it. I have requested proof but none came. They attempted to garnish my bank account but I fought and won. Now they are still trying to collect. This has gone on for over a year.

Research shows that PRA Inc is a valid and very professional 3-party debt collector. PRA, LLC simply hijaced the name in an effort to scam people. Check out the Rip Off Report. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act prohibits most of waht PRA LLC does, but they seem not to care. Report them to your state's Attorney General.

Fawna, calling my cell phone for a boyfriend. Not sure how she got my number. Asked why she was calling my number for him and she stated it was personal. Then she proceeded to ask if I knew him. I told her well, I guess that is personal and none of her f*cking business. I proceeded to yell at her, if she called this number again then I would file a claim against the company. She was rambling something as I called her a worthless f*cking b*tch and hung up. I get REALLY pissed when businesses call my cell phone.

My husband was called by this number on his government phone, asking for my maiden name. He proceeded to tell them that is no longer my name, and that this is not her number. When he asked who was calling, they asked how they can get in touch with me. So he said if you dont tell me who you are, I wont pass on the message. So the FRIENDLY woman said she is with Capitol One and calling about a $700 debt I owe capitol one. He said he would give me her number and have me call her back. Well I do not owe Captiol One $700, and I did not call back. But within 30minutes of the phone call my husband got, I received a phone call with an extention number of 12706, and I did not answer. These people are crazy. I am hoping if they call his number again, and he asks not to call back asking for anyone again, they will listen. How annoying.

the number was 800 383 8013

Sue them. You will win.

These people call for my step-children.  They have their names and our address.  They are children, they do not have debts to be collected so I don't understand.  Of course I will not let the kids talk to them and they say they can not talk to me.  I have added them to my phones no call list but I would like to know where they got their information.