Collection call from 866-940-7640

ComplaintsUnsolicited Phone Calls866-940-7640

Complaint

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Julie Wendler
Country: United States
A Woman called me at my place of business from this number and asked for me by name. She claimed I had a visa with Capitol One and I said that I didn't. She asked if I had used a different name, which I thought was odd. I said no. Then she went on to give me a social security number which I said wasn't mine. I made it very clear that I am not the person she was looking for and yet the woman kept on talking wouldn't end the call. She threatened me with how my credit was going to be ruined etc. Where do they get their information? Doesnt the statement that I am not who you are looking for end the conversation?

Comments

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  • 0
    tj
    "She threatened me with how my credit was going to be ruined etc."
    They care less about whether they contact the correct person than whether they get some money from someone.  They often threaten whoever they call, makes them feel powerful and often pays off.

    "Where do they get their information? "
    Nationwide phone listings, credit reporting agencies like TU, Experian, or Equifax, and skip-trace database services like Choicepoint and Lexis-Nexis/Accurint.  They have lots of errors, and if they are only searching on an approximate name and not verifying SSN or addresses, they could end up contacting lots of people in many cases.

    "Doesnt the statement that I am not who you are looking for end the conversation?"
    You aren't dealing with educated professionals, more likely they barely graduated high school.  Collection agencies are marginal businesses with high turnover, who often have only minimal compliance training programs.

    Your number is reported to be Portfolio Recovery Associates.
    https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-940-7640

    BBB report.  "A+" apparently just means they respond to BBB complaints.  They are a member.
    http://norfolk.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=64&bbb=0583&firm=51000164

    Since they contacted you, if they are claiming you are the alleged debtor, they are required by law (FDCPA) to send you a letter in 5 days notifying you of your right to dispute and request information on the the alleged debt.  Failing to do so is a violation of FDCPA and corresponding state laws.

    Check your credit reports to make sure they don't put someone elses collection account on it.  Dispute any such erroneously inserten information IN WRITING with the credit reporting agency.

    If they continue to call and harass you, notify them that your employer does not permit their calls.  Ask for their mailing address.  If they refuse to provide it so that you can mail them a letter to request proof of the debt, or continue to call and harass you after you have demanded that they stop, file complaints with FTC, your state AG, and the Virginia Attorney General.
  • 0
    tj
    MANY complaints against PRA.  Most are that they are collecting on very old alleged debts, long past SOL, and many consumers claim the debts were either paid long ago or they never had the account.  Basically they appear to be buying lots of old junk accounts, of questionable accuracy, and trying to sqeeze money out of them while evading validation.

    Some reports that they "re-age" credit reporting of old accounts, including falsely reporting recent payments to show recent activity and poison credit scores.

    http://www.budhibbs.com/debtcollectorpages/portfolio_recovery_associates_cmts.htm

    Evasion of validation request by instead treating it as an "id theft/fraud" dispute.
    "November 2008      Here is another ploy these yahoos are using... Back and forth, back and forth with these guys for months... I got a letter in the mail today from their "Disputes Department" saying I was disputing the account because I'm a victim of identity theft or fraud. (I VERBALLY asked for full verification of a debt that is far past the statute of limitations...)  THEY want proof from me now that this is true or they will return the account to the "collection floor." You should see the "Identity Theft Affidavit" and all the information they want. NOT HAPPENING!! I guess they are hoping I'll return this form NOTARIZED so they notify authorities about my false claim...
    The certified letter is going out tomorrow!
    "

    Re-aging.
    "October 2008   I had a debt listed on my credit report from Bank of America - a debt which was never validated. This supposed debt was due to come off of my credit report in March 2008. When I checked my report to see if it was off, I found that Portfolio Recovery had "updated" my report to show that I had made a $25 payment in November 2007. I have never made a payment on this account, as it is not mine! I did research and found that this is a common practice of scheming bottom feeders in order to keep something on your credit report longer. Re-aging the account. Now, I am receiving letters from Phillips & Cohen Associates (who -surprise! - also have stellar feedback on this site) Apparently they bought the junk debt from Portfolio. Guess what? They're getting no money either. I am speaking with a law firm regarding these illegal practices and hope to have this junk removed from my credit report. In the meantime, I will send them a validation letter - certified mail - as I did with Portfolio. Of course, I never received a response...I'm tired of messing with these people. It's past time for action. But I do intend to act.

    Re-aging.
    "October 2008   Don't know if you can help me or can put me in the right direction , but I have just taken a look at my credit report and for Experian it shows a recent payment of $15.00 on an account that is from 5/2002 . I never made a payment to PRA. "

    Collecting on extremely old, paid, debt (1973).
    "September 2008    I got one for all of you. these Yahoo's (PRA) have been calling me for over a month now. The debt that they are attempting to collect is a SEARS debt from 1973, yes, I said, 1973. A debt in fact that I do not owe. I paid SEARS with diligence when I had there then Revolving Charge account. But, what really pisses me of is, if you cal their number listed on the web site you get a recording. It's states their business hours are Monday - Friday. Then why in the hell are they calling me on a "SUNDAY" morning. I made sure to leave them a message that would get somebody's attention. "

    Deceptive collection.
    "2007     This company does more than harass. They terrorize. I was contacted by a Steven Barber on an account I have never had. He claimed I owed $12,000.00 on a Capital One Credit Card and if I didn't pay, my wages would be garnished. I informed him the account has been out of statute
    since my last activity in 1990. I was shocked when he continued to make these misleading statements. If I would have been in the office, the call would have been recorded. "

    Re-aging.
    "2007     Portfolio bought an out of SOL account that is just about to fall off my CR. They listed it as a collection AND are saying I made a recent $5.00 payment. Guess they are trying to re-age it. I'm burned up, but they will end up getting burned after I send off my complaints. "
  • 0
    Bill
    These people keep calling the office from (866) 940-7640. Most of the time, there's not anyone there.

    Today, however, there was a woman on the other end of the line and asked for my boss. When I asked who she was, she gave a first name. When I asked what the name of the company she was with, she got belligerent. She started asking me who I was.

    I repeated my question: "What is the name of your company?"

    She replied, "Sir, are you in the habit of violating Federal Law? Because it's against Federal Law for me to tell you that."

    "It's against Federal Law for you to tell me the name of your company?", I asked her.

    "Yes."

    "No - it's not against Federal Law to tell me the name of your company."

    "I didn't say that, sir -"

    "Yes, you did - I asked you the name of your company and you said it was against Federal Law for you to tell me."

    "Well, it is!", she said.

    "Then give me the statute number in Federal Law that states that it's against the law for you to tell me the name of your company.", I said.

    "You can call your congressman for that.", she replied.

    "No, I'm not going to call my congressman - you stated that it's against Federal Law for you to tell me the name of your company, I asked you to give me the statute number, and you didn't because you can't - because it's not against Federal Law for you to tell me the name of your company."

    She began yelling at me, so I promptly hung up.

    Good grief!
  • 0
    MARIA BENITES
    866-940-7640 this people keep calling me, and when I call them back
    it is like- that phone-never exist.
  • 0
    MARIA BENITES
    Error 603-214-3318- They do anonymous call only I will like to know who they are.
  • 0
    MARIA BENITES
    Cell phone tx anonymous call only why? 281-822-2279
  • 0
    MARIA BENITES
    866-808-0880- This people keep calling me, and when I call them back
    it is like- that phone-never exist.
  • 0
    MARIA BENITES
    Cell phone TX 281-904-3799 cell phone TX anonymous call only why?
  • 0
    Bill Johnson
    I received a collection letter from Portfolio Recovery Associates recently for an account that was clearly not mine.  I figured I could call them and get it straightened out by just letting them know that they reached the wrong person.  Boy was I wrong.  The agent I spoke with wanted me to verify my social security number, which, of course, I refused to do.  So she just got very catty with me and then hung up on me.  A few days later I got a phone call from them, originating from telephone number 866-940-7640.  The woman that called told me that I owed an account that was unpaid from 1986.  When I told her it was not mine, she got very demanding and said that I would be required to contact the police and file a report for identity theft.  She said she would mail some forms to me and repeated that I was required to call the police.  When I told her that what she is doing is illegal she got very nasty and hung up.  I have decided that I am not going to tolerate this company any longer. I am going to file a civil suit against them.  I have read enough postings on the internet to know that Portfolio Recovery Associates is trying to scam people like me and that what they are doing is illegal.  I think the only way they will stop this abuse is by getting hit with lots of legal action.
  • 0
    Aseez Mohammad
    There is a derogatory picture of Muhammad on their website. As a Muslim, I am deeply offended by that and I have contacted them and asked them to please remove this picture off their website. I hope that they will do so or I shall contact them again.

    This is their despicable website:

    http://www.portfoliorecovery.com/
  • 0
    Bakufi
    Aseez - you are right . i've also contacted them. i guess they are trying to shame us into paying their bill. what they do is shame themselves!!!
  • 0
    Hebashnee Muhamed
    There is a derogatory picture of Muhammad on their website. As a Muslim, I am deeply offended by that and I have contacted them and asked them to please remove this picture off their website. I hope that they will do so or I shall contact them again.

    This is their despicable website:

    http://www.portfoliorecovery.com/
  • 0
    HG Robinson
    Do not pay or send any money to this business. They purchase old debts and attempt to harass and bully people into paying for a debt that cannot be otherwise legally collected.

    The best thing to do is hang up and not enage them in conversation. The reps are mostly uneducation people who lack skills to obtain better jobs.
  • 0
    confused
    Called on a Sunday evening at 6:30 P.M.
    Isn't that illegal, calling on a Sunday?
  • 0
    Madeline
    This company, Portfolio Recovery Associates, will ignore cease & desist letter and will not respond to requests that they validate the loan. If you try to talk to them by phone they are rude, insulting and uncooperative. They don't want the truth - they just want money from you even if not your debt. They call your job and home and will deliberately leave messages on the phones of co-workers.
    Yes - they will sue you and the judgment will be posted to your credit report.  I speak from experience.  This is an awful company and I have been tangling with them for almost 6 years. They are liars and only out to get money from whoever they can. You can report them to the Better Business Bureau or your State Attorney General - but it does no good. For some reason this company is allowed to continue their illegal practices and no one at the state or federal level will stop them. They do all the things that we are told as consumers they cannot do, but there's no way to really enforce those laws.  I wish I was rich so I could take these jerks to court and keep them tied up for years just like they are doing to me.
  • 0
    mad
    Ijust got a letter from this company after reading this web sight should we be worried?
  • 0
    Anonym
    "If you run it right, it can be a good business," said Portfolio Recovery's chairman, Steven Fredrickson.

    Hey Steven you filthy stinking rat - FU and your mama.
  • 0
    Akeem
    There is a derogatory picture of Muhammad on their website. As a Muslim, I am deeply offended by that and I have contacted them and asked them to please remove this picture off their website. I hope that they will do so or I shall contact them again.

    This is their despicable website:

    www.portfoliorecovery.com
  • 0
    Ken
    Congress needs to pass a law that once debt is past the statute of limitations, it is illegal to make phone calls to try to collect it - they could mail notices but they wouldn't because of the postage expense - that would stop these Portfolio Recovery hooligans dead in their tracks.

    Enough is enough of these borderline criminals. Write or email your congress representative now!
  • 0
    Robin
    Claire Arndt is a dirty stinking pig - we should call her at 757-961-3537 and irritate her the way her and her POS company irritates us, right Claire Arndt you disgusting piece of rat backside.

    Claire Arndt 757-961-3537
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