Consumer complaint received 2024-03-05
Product: Debt collection — I do not know
Issue: Threatened to contact someone or share information improperly — Talked to a third-party about your debt
Company: PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES INC (OH)

Starting at the end of XXXX  I begun receiving strange calls from who I can now confirm was Portfolio Recovery where they would use fake phone numbers in order to collect an alleged debt. The first call with them I can not recall the exact date, but this was sometime within the week of XXXX. They called me from a number that was XXXX. Once I picked up they stated they were trying to reach me for a law firm. I asked the name of their employer but they would not give that information. They tried to get me to confirm my first and last name and last 4 of my social. I refused and ended the call. She then called back, and left a message with a return number. I recall this number was reported by other consumers as being " high spam risk '' and associated with Portfolio Recovery. Given their strong attempts to remain hidden, and their public identification as spam callers, I was not going to talk with them without a legitmate phone number as any normal person would. XX/XX/XXXX I received a call from XXXX. Of course, I did not answer that because its clear it is not a real number. A voicemail was left by someone named XXXX where he threatened " pending action '' per a law firm leaving phone ( XXXX ) XXXX. About an hour later, I called this number back to see who it was. As expected, they would not tell me who they were without my name so I ended the call writing it off as a scam because only a scammer would conceal their name to this degree. A few hours later my sister reached out to me through XXXX who I have not spoken to in quite a while. She sent me a picture of a name, phone number, and case number and was told that if I don't return their call they are suing me. I asked her why she would even answer the call and take part in a conversation with a phone number XXXX? She stated " XXXX '' informed her I had her listed as a contact which is completely false and deceptive behavior. I do not know her phone number and as previously stated, we do not speak and do not get along so I do not take this illegal contact to her with my potential PERSONAL business lightly at all. The following morning I called the same number back ( we were given the same number ) and it was a number that just rang and rang. I did a reverse search on the number and again, it was registered as a high spam risk number not registered to any owners.Fast foward to today and Portfolio Recovery has filed this unknown debt I allegedly own into my local court in XXXX County Ohio within the last few weeks. I have no official paperwork from them or any from the courts, and my sister who I do not have a relationship with knows more about this than I do which is a direct violation of my consumer rights. She is now telling my relatives Im being " sued '' which was information she should not have been given! Portfolio Recovery already had my contact information, so their contact to her was to embarass and intimidate me. I have all of this information, but do not feel comfortable attaching it here since this will also go to Portfolio Recovery. They are not being very forthcoming or professional so giving them evidence I have may not be in my best interest at this time.