Constant & Rude Calls
Complaint
Loretta Oden
Country: United States
678-265-1576
Calls on Sundays as well as evenings thru the week. I do NOT speak with anyone as about 2 weeks ago a VERY RUDE, RUDE AND ARROGANT being, who is nothing more than a mouth on the other end of the line.....started telling me that I needed counseling, that if I didn't have any money to pay them, how did I pay my rent....that if I could pay my rent, I should get a room-mate so I could pay them.....he was sooooo insulting....and HE trying to give me, a 70 years old woman on fixed income ADVICE!!! I called back and asked for a supervisor....related the story and told them to NEVER!!! call me again.....Just now rec'd another call from them.....this is from a debt that I do not recognize and it is at least 10 years old.....when they call they use up the minutes on my mobile phone which I cannot afford to waste.
HOW DO I STOP THESE HORRIBLY HARASSING CALLS?!!!!
Calls on Sundays as well as evenings thru the week. I do NOT speak with anyone as about 2 weeks ago a VERY RUDE, RUDE AND ARROGANT being, who is nothing more than a mouth on the other end of the line.....started telling me that I needed counseling, that if I didn't have any money to pay them, how did I pay my rent....that if I could pay my rent, I should get a room-mate so I could pay them.....he was sooooo insulting....and HE trying to give me, a 70 years old woman on fixed income ADVICE!!! I called back and asked for a supervisor....related the story and told them to NEVER!!! call me again.....Just now rec'd another call from them.....this is from a debt that I do not recognize and it is at least 10 years old.....when they call they use up the minutes on my mobile phone which I cannot afford to waste.
HOW DO I STOP THESE HORRIBLY HARASSING CALLS?!!!!
Comments
Ms. Oden, the debt might not even be yours. Portfolio Recovery Associates has gone after me twice for the debts of two different people with my same last name. The incidents were several months apart.
They have a reputation as an abusive debt collector. They will continue to call until you send them a cease-and-desist letter.
Tell them that the debt isn't yours (if it isn't) and that they are to discontinue their calls. To call you on your cell phone, the Federal Trade Commission requires that they have your permission. In your letter, make sure you give your cell number and tell them that if you had given your permission, you are now revoking it. Send the letter to:
Christopher Lagow, Senior Counsel
Portfolio Recovery Associates
120 Corporate Blvd. Ste 1
Norfolk VA 23502
Send a copy to your state's Attorney General. Mine has been very helpful.
I'd recommend filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
Best of luck to you, Ms. Oden. We are the same age, and I find it very distressing to have to put up with this sort of nonsense in the twilight of my life. I am a frequent target of debt collectors. They get my number out of the phone book. They may have done this with you. They, of course, will deny it. Getting an unlisted number won't help because these criminal companies have access to them.
Doesn't sound like they have sent you any "g" letter either, notifying you of the alleged debt and allowing you to dispute it. That is another violation.
These tactics of abusive and harassing phone calls, with evasion of debt validation by withholding any information or notifications that might assist you in disputing, show up often in connection of really old debt, that debt collectors may be trying to "erroneously" collect from the wrong people. At over 10 years old, it would be both illegal to post on credit reports, and past SOL in many states.
PRA has a history of similar complaints suggesting they may be using harassment to try to get some small payment they can claim reset SOL, which might allow them to sue. The complaint pattern is so consistent that this appears to be a deliberate tactic.
You can sue for violations of FDCPA, and courts can award statutory and actual damages and your attorney fees if you win, so you can find attorneys who take these cases on contingency.
You can find a consumer attorney in your state through www.naca.net
Many states have enhanced penalties for abusive fraud targeted against senior citizens.
Companies can ck your phone # online...4 sites show if your phone is a cell, and for a fee can see who it belongs to!! So I'd call it willful!!! Tell your Attorney!!!!
File a complaint with the FCC at https://esupport.fcc.gov/ccmsforms/form1088.action?form_type=1088G
File a complaint in the state the business is located in- their Consumer Complaint or State Attorney General’s Office...each state is a little different...
File a complaint with the nearest BBB to them...FTC…FDPCA....Do Not Call List, if you are on it...
Or Land line; check out; http://www.stopdebtcollectorsharassment.com/ -Get Up to 1K
You can find more information on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act at:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm
October 14, 2007
Attn: Ron Rovall
CC: Steve Bryant
Pentagroup Financial, LLC
5959 Corporate Drive, Suite 1400
Houston, TX 77036
Re: Notice to Cease Contact: Case # 42
Ron,
Based on my research into the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, I am notifying you in writing that I do not wish to be contacted regarding this matter any further. Know that any future calls will be logged as well as recorded for use with the Attorney General’s office.
On October 13, 2007 I was contacted by Steve Bryant of your agency, who informed me that PentaGroup is attempting to collect a debt. I informed Steve that neither the Social Security Number he provided nor the address that he provided are mine or have ever been mine.
This was the third call and the third time that I have informed him that his information does not pertain to me. The calls were on 9/24/07, 10/1/07, and 10/13/07. I have told him repeatedly that he is not to contact my parents (which he continues to do) and have provided my cell number on each occasion so he should not have been bothering my parents. In addition, I have never been provided anything in writing as is required.
DO NOT contact me again.
Thanks,
Charley
Jason
1. Get a free Google Voice account.
2. Take one of their new numbers, or port your existing number to them.
3. Set GV to block anonymous, or private numbers.
4. Every time you get one of these calls, add them to your "blocked" list, and you'll never get a call from that number ever again.
Note: They use a LOT of different numbers from different area codes. Once you become used to the service, you can create a contact, add as many numbers as you want to it, and block that contact.
It'll take time to get rid of them completely, but you'll definitely see an immediate drop in calls.
thx all
If you have further problems, contact CFPB.
www.consumerfinance.gov