Ha,
these SOBs somehow got my latest cell no. (I'm wondering if they scammed it from the IRS ?? the last 'official' agency I let my number be known to ... or if they have an insider)
anyway, I entered the above list in my blocked numbers (my HTC thru VMobile seems to have an unlimited no. of blocks available to me... I set up a contact, add multilple nos, and block it)
the # of 'unknown' numbers has dropped to almost zero,
and every time one comes in I add it, plus the 10 nos in front and behind it as Port Rec a***oles seem to obtain blocks of numbers

... ALSO, and this is most important, my 'default' ringtone is SILENCE ... actually a dead .mp3 I made myself, but silent ringtones are also available for downloads

Every time I add a contact I must assign a ringtone, otherwise it defaults to silence

ie. unless you're on my contact list, my phone does not ring, they will NEVER get hold of me, ever
and even if they did I'd play the game to keep them on the phone as long as possible, or until I tired of it, just to waste their time and money... i have unlimited calls anyway, no sweat offa my a***

f'em

They are allowed to call from 8AM-9PM (local time) seven days a week---UNLESS you send them a letter telling them otherwise.

These numbers even call on Sundays near 9pm central   No message.  Sometimes it will say on caller id Portfolio Recovery but not always.  Did not know allowed to call on Sundays and not after 5pm my time.  If calls do not match phone numbers if any paper trail with same company-I say phishing for suckers or whoever had your number if new.

Watcher, you are replying (over and over again) to posts that are over a year old.  Ever heard the one about not flogging a dead horse?

The 626-209-2241 or -2242 or -2243 or -2244 numbers are from a company called Portfolio Recovery Associates in Covina, California.  They are part of a large group headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, at 140 Corporate Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23502.  Complaints of their calls have been reported to the National Do-Not-Call Registry, and other authorities.  Until someone gets aggravated enough and has money to throw away, and sues them, they are persistent and won't stop.  If the bad debt is over 7 1/2 years old, it's dead anyway.

DONT CALL MY NUMBER ANY MORE I DONT O YOU ANY THING //????

Also, Enid......collectiion companies DO sell off debts to other agencies, but it violates federal law to harass someone about a debt that is more than 7 seven years old, or that has been written off for a variety of reasons. And these scumbags are also harassing the children & relatives of dead people.

Enid. Let me begin by telling you that bill collectors DO NOT ONLY CALL YOU WHEN YOU OWE a bill! I have been getting calls for years for someone I do not even know, coming from the same place. I have instructed them to stop calling, I have filed complaints (which only results in a brief reprieve from the calls). Our numbers are non-published, so they are not cold calling to try and located someone. The people they  ask for are not people I even know.  They almost always ask for the same two or three people. Much of this type of calling is scamming trying to get someone to either give up personal information and/or pay a bill they do not owe. Or they intimidate someone into paying off a debt that may not even be theirs, simply to end the harassment, which rarely does end it. You are right in your statement that the callers are generally someone who is simply trying to making a living, but they are working for disreputable scum.

I AM REPORTING THEM TO THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION WEBSITE ftccomplaintassistant.gov AND THE DO NOT CALL REGISTRY WEBSITE donotcall.gov/register/reg.aspx EVERY TIME THEY CALL, IT TAKES ALL OF FIVE MINUTES. SINCE I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS THE CALLS HAVE CUT DOWN FROM 5-10 CALLS PER DAY TO MAYBE 1-2 CALLS PER DAY. MAYBE IF WE ALL TOOK THE TIME TO DO THIS WE COULD SHUT THEM DOWN.

THEIR STOCK IS WAY DOWN SINCE THIS CAMPAIGN STARTED. FAR WORSE THAN THE DROPS ON WALL STREET. EVERYONE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Reverse boycott. Together we are destroying their cost/benefit ratio by consuming their service. Their legal model is less vulnerable than their business model. Individual efforts against their legal model have failed for years. This united effort against their business model is succeeding.

When a company can repeatedly call with the intent of getting money their customers can repeatedly answer or call back with the intent of not giving them any. They need people to pay with as little talk as possible. They don't want to talk with people who know they are never going to pay. Be all talk and no pay. Answer when convenient. Call back. Give no information. Verify nothing. Ask as many questions as you can. Answer none.

Don't ignore/block/report them. It doesn't work. These folks want you to ignore them for as long as you can stand to or until you give them something valuable like money or information. Ignoring them is being their good customer. Sending a cease and desist is giving information. It lets them know you are still alive and remain their good customer. Preparing to initiate unlikely individual legal battles is being their good customer.

Be their bad customer. Make them talk to you fruitlessly for as long as they can stand to or until they stop selecting you as their customer. These companies cannot spend seconds much less minutes on the phone with every person who will never send them a dime. But they don't know who that is. You do. That knowledge is power. Every second you can keep their staff on the phone will render their business less profitable giving them a reason to never call you again.

Calling will not reset your SOL. Making a partial payment will.

I like to ask general questions they should but usually won't answer, "May I have the name and address of your agent for service of process?" Calmly and slowly ask them to spell every word in the address. Read it back for verification. Control the pace. If they are rushing then politely ask them to slowly repeat. "Are you a corporation and if so in which state are you incorporated?" Repeat your questions when you don't get direct answers. When they won't answer a question ask, "Would you like to comply with the business and professions codes of your state?" That is usually the point when they hang up on me but if they say they want to comply then begin your questions again.

Repeat while you have the spare time. These folks have many victims and few operators. If everyone calls back but pays nothing the mass auto-dialer business model becomes unprofitable. Don't aide and comfort the enemy by ignoring them. Call! Have a nice long slow friendly chat! Make them hang up first.

Press 2 for Spanish.

For any business, customers who consume the most resources but don't pay (or otherwise add value) become the least desirable. Most businesses will stop (cease and desist) soliciting an undesirable customer. Those that don't stop remain knowingly vulnerable to the actions of their undesirable customers. Few companies can afford to let everyone take a piece of them whenever they want endlessly. For instance they must pay staff to answer everyone's telephone calls which can be placed at your convenience for the joy of it. Call and consume their operator time without paying or giving information. Be a bad customer. The worst customer. Inspire them to invoke their right to refuse you service by not soliciting you.

There are certainly enough victims to take down this company so ignoring/blocking seems downright Orwellian to me. Really? We're just going to passively submit and go with a block list or however we manage ignoring an endless stream of unwanted phone calls day after day? Hell no! Unite or remain conquered. Answer/return every call - become well practiced at keeping these folks on the phone - or count yourself not amongst the free.

Portfolio Recovery Associates will keep calling you and pass your number on to another agent with a different number.  Don't waste your time making a master list of blocked numbers.  I just pick up and don't say anything.  I figure they can pay to the phone company to get connected.  More than 20 unknown numbers call, same result for them, whoever they are.  I just chuckle hearing them futilely say "hello" several times until they hang up.  Sometimes I just keep saying hello back at them louder and louder; telling them I can't hear them and to call back.  I repeat the process.  Don't get frustrated, have fun, and be creative.  Remember, they're paying for the phone call.

In Washington state we are not allowed to record phone calls without consent. I had this company call and I asked for permission to record the conversation and was told that I could. I started recording and asked for permission again so it would be on record. Again, permission was given. I sensed this was a new employee and said I needed to conifrm her company and identity "for the record." I asked for and got her full legal name, SSN and her mother's maiden name. While I would never reveal it, I wonder if she would enjoy a taste of what her company does to people.... assuming of course, that she gave me real info.

These bottom feeders call from all types of telephone numbers, with the last call being from this number.  They call me at my previous employment, which they have been told I do not work there.  They are NOT to call your place of employment and harrass you.  I block each and every one of their calls on my cell phone.  Whether or not I owe the debt, usually I will get a bill in the mail.  They are scum of the earth.  I commend Danedanewfame above.  However, I wonder if you did not get ripped off and fired from Buttfolio, would you still help out the average american citizen with your helpful information?   Thank you very much.

These people are crazy.  They call and refer to a debt from 1995, 16 years ago.  I asked them to please fax me or mail me something validating the debit to my house.  They pause and say they cannot do that but can glady take a check by phone payment.  I asked the lady, "Would you pay me if I called you and said you owed xxx amount of dollars but cannot give me any record if the debit is true?"  She responds, "Sir, I pay my bills"   I said to her, "Run my credit report....I bet me my credit is much better"  I don't have one negative mark on my report.... she became rude and irate.  I then said some nasty things to her, a little racist my comments I became.....and it was wrong of me but she made me so angry.  For that I apologize.  If it is something that I owe, then just give me some proof..  It was only about $500.  I don't think they can hit my credit report with a debt from 16 years ago right?

Keep getting an array of calls from this firm's dizzying list of numbers. I have never answered, for I never connect to unknown numbers. I have a perfect credit score, no outstanding debts, so I must assume someone pawned my cell phone number off as their own. This has been going on for a year. One would think they'd move along.

i love it when portfolio calls. i get to call them back 20 times and create a big conference call. then it ties up 20 telemarketers. then i call them back again. its fun listening to themselves try to figure out why their lines are now 'crossed'. even better is letting their manager know how much employee time/pay they waste on calling my number with 20 phone lines tied up in circles

It works on iphone and blackberry. basically answer the call then hang up. now goto recent calls and call them back. as soon as it connects, ADD another call to the same recent # and merge them into a conference call (the option will appear). repeat about 5 times. repeat about once a minute to keep adding as they eventually hang up one line at a time. put it on mute, and start laughing.

correct, but have you ever how nasty these people get.  I had a debt that was paid off....over 7 years ago....and the launguage this girl used was terrible.

U know unless u know someones situation dont bang on them.  I guess we need to take lessons from u.  I dont suppose u would be on this site if no one was calling u

Me thinks Enid is a bill collector!

Enid,
Debt collectors don't only call when you OWE a bill.  Debt collectors call when they are told to cal by their bosses or by their system of attempting to collect on debts.  Here's why:  If they collect a penny on an old debt, then you can become obligated for the whole amount, even if it is beyond the time limit.  Thus, they ROUTINELY make calls on old debt to try to get some idiot to pay on a debt that has been written off, so that they can resurrect it in Court, thereby becoming able to negotiate a settlement of anywhere from half to a third of the total debt amount, when they have paid approximately six cents on the dollar for the debt from the original owners of the note.

Debt collectors are the sleaziest people on the planet.  The only people sleazier are the managers and owners of debt collection companies.

I am continuously getting calls from these people.  I'm 74 and disabled.  It's extremely difficult for me to walk to get to the phone.  These calls have to stop.  I don't have a clue why they are calling.

I dont know who this is calling so I looked it up and I seen all of you that this number have called as while.

You are assuming, Enid, that each of these phone calls is legitimate.  These slimeballs, in their attempt to collect on debts, spread their nets way too wide.  In their attempt to track down Kathleen P Smith, they will call Kathleen A Smith and Kathleen B Smith and Kathleen C Smith and Kathy C Smith and Kathy T Smith and Cathy Q Smith and Cathleen A Smith and Cat Smith and an infinite number of others.  99% of those people, of course, have no idea what's going on, and do not deserve the snotty attitude of the callers.

I didn't read through all of these messages, so I didn't see anything that addresses the fact that when a company returns to get their collateral for a debt, they can't try to collect on that debt. Collateral secures the lien. They can, though, try to make you pay for the money that they lost when they were trying to find the collateral. But, as so many mentioned, these loans are charged off and the "Enid" loan collectors will try to scare you into sending them money, too.

The poor economy was not created by people defaulting on their credit cards, homes and cars. It was caused by the big business Wall Streeters that line the pockets of some congressmen. My dearly beloved who just recently departed this nasty world, was in the mortgage business and I believe it caused his poor health. We lost everything when he lost his last job...doors closed for no valid reason.

The scum that calls us and screams at us, sure, they have bills but they really get their jollies when they make someone miserable.

About a class action lawsuit...it only takes 3 people to start one...

Chazran... There is no such thing as hell
Anyway, back to the subject of this company. They even called my elderly parents and threatened them, then sent a big guy to scare them at their home.
Scum.

Both of the above posts are absolutely correct!  

The following (wordy) paragraph is a Totally Unsolicited (but Well Deserved!) endorsement for whocallsme.com.  (Seriously, I have absolutely no affiliation with this website and very seldom register with any site if not required)  

I finally registered with 'whocallsme.com' because (after much research) determined that it is BY FAR the best company of its kind anywhere on the web.   'Who Calls Me' provides USEFUL and (mostly) accurate information free of charge, nearly 100 percent of the time.  If a reverse look up on whocallsme.com does not bring up any results, it is either a brand new number that you happened to be the first to enter (unlikely) or a confirmation that the telephone number belongs to a private party, local business, or was just an accidental wrong number.  Of course Who Calls Me is a commercial website with a goal of making a profit (and I sincerely hope that it does!).  They offer anyone who wants or needs to obtain additional specific information associated with a given cell phone or land line number the choice to do so.  Unlike nearly all of the other 'similar' sites, however, they provide a wealth of FREE information that usually will quickly and easily confirm most ANY telephone number that is involved in fraudulent activity such as phishing scams,  Legitimate Fund Raising companies, Debt Collection Agencies (some operating legally and many NOT!), companies using 'Cold Call' (usually unwelcome) tactics, and generally will confirm any of the countless large companies and organizations that use automated mass computer calling systems which seem to attack many of us relentlessly.  Anyhoo, again, this is my unsolicited (well earned) endorsement of whocallsme.com which has provided me with quick, reliable, and useful FREE INFORMATION for at least a year now.  My only suggestion regarding the accuracy of the information that is posted, is to check more than one reply for a given number.  Sometimes posters make assumptions and attribute the wrong company or organization to a number and obviously the website administrator(s) can't confirm the accuracy of what must be zillions of pages on their site.  There are normally enough other posts associated with a number to quickly and easily confirm the true identity of a company's telephone number.  If you have been using whocallsme.com you undoubtedly already know this information.  If not, I would recommend that anyone doing a Reverse Number look up, in order to save much time and aggravation to quickly scan the first (and maybe second) page returns of search results for 'whocallsme.com' and skip all the others.  It is often not the very first return (those are usually the sites that pay a small fortune to trick Google into deciding that they are websites containing rich and relevant content.....BUT USUALLY DO NOT!!!).  If 'Who Calls Me' is not on the first page with the telephone number (keyword) you entered , chances are good that the number is not a 'problem' number that any website has any free information on.  If you need additional information on a number that is not posted on Who Calls Me and are willing to pay for it, my recommendation then (for what its worth) would still be to go through their website to get it in order to help support all of the great FREE services they provide.  End of totally unsolicited (SERIOUSLY!), but Well Deserved endorsement for whocallsme.com.

Following are the Portfolio Recovery Numbers that I have compiled so far (about 75).  It has become a 'faux' Hobby of mine to collect and provide to others, as many of Portfolio's numbers as I can to anyone who may want to enter them into their phone and block the constant 'intrusions'.

This list includes many calls that I have received personally as well as those compiled by other posters.  It is probably not absolutely 'Perfect', however, I have tried to check every number from at least two different sources before adding it to the list.  I think it is one of the most comprehensive lists available, but I'm also sure that it is not 100 percent complete.  Also some of the numbers are possibly no longer (or not currently) being used by Portfolio Recovery.  

Please copy and paste the list along with any numbers not included here.  Please try to keep the list uncorrupted by double checking any additions for accuracy (transposed numbers, etc.) as well as adding ONLY telephone numbers belonging to Portfolio Recovery.  I plan to post this list in every thread on this site......(eventually).   As Polpot suggests in the post above, Portfolio probably has a brand new batch of numbers that they have begun using.  Having said that, it seems that the total number of telephone lines they have in their budget is not as unlimited as it may seem, and the list is pretty easy to manage and keep up to date on a 'Caller Block' list.

I know the number of RUDE, Recurring, Harassing, Un-timely, Un-welcome, and totally Unwarranted intrusions into my life by this Sleazy 'company' have been dramatically reduced (Nearly Eliminated) since I started blocking them out of my life.    

(UPDATED 02-06-2011)

204-949 3108
205-423-4020
205-588-8181
212-000-4956
215-944-8989
239-642-8598


404-592-5171
407-347-4014
410-282-1420
412-282-1420
440-580-0720
443-313-1380
484-489-2840


513-878-4916


602-264-2270
602-795-1383
605-782-2890
620-662-1492
620-662-8870
626-209-2241
661-673-4507


702-410-7069
727-637-8527
731-215-8010
731-984-7690

757-321-2508
757-321-6271
757-321-6279
757-321-6280
757-321-6281
757-321-6282
757-519-9300
757-847-4539
757-864-0020
757-961-3544
757-961-3545
757-961-3546
757-961-3547
757-961-3548
786-206-8643


800-427-7142
800-473-7994
800-772-1413
847-678-9710
847-791-0193
847-994-2540
847-994-2544
858-346-1184
864-268-3762
866-240-7530
866-658-7508
866-691-3568
866-887-0973
866-891-3257
866-940-7640
877-275-8236
877-749-9731
877-803-0008
877-876-8723
888-218-5212
888-543-6072
888-772-7326


918-442-0320
973-947-4806
980-939-7534
--------------------

Portfolio Recovery attempting to get at a ghost debt from over 15 years ago. Scammers!

trying to collect a debt from 1998 and I don't even remember it.  They keep calling from same group with different numbers.

Yep, they have started off the new year using a whole new group of local phone numbers.  They usually come across as City, State and the local number.  Scumbags the whole lot of them