Consumer complaint received 2020-06-18
Product: Debt collection — Credit card debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action — Sued you without properly notifying you of lawsuit
Company: PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES INC (CA)

This is a written complaint about Portfolio Recovery and Associates, Inc. which according to their website is based in VA. This agency is a 3rd party collector. It is not my original creditor. The original creditor was XXXX XXXX, a credit card company. After my Chapter XXXX bankruptcy filing was discharged in XXXX, I opened this card with the purpose of rebuilding my credit. I was initially approved with a credit limit of {$1500.00}, which, in time was increased to {$2000.00}. First few years of using this credit card was a breeze. However, the interest rates were so high. So in XXXX, I tried to negotiate with their finance department and asked that they lower my interest rates with a promise on my end, to pay it off. XXXX XXXX declined it. I appealed on a few more occasions but every time, the decision was negative. Finally I got tired of doing a follow up with XXXX XXXX, until one day, life happened, and I started missing payments. It was in XXXX that I had started to receive collection calls even in my workplace and during unholy hours, although I told them not to do it. My wife, including my other siblings also started to get calls from this collection agency, which, at that time I was unaware was Portfolio Recovery and Associates. I was aware that I maxed my credit limit, and cash was starting to get tight. In XXXX I was unjustly fired from my job, thereby my source of income was lost and for a while I thought that the disturbances got away, finally. In the summer of XXXX, while at our then rented house, the mail courier of this third party collector, kept knocking on our house. She was carrying what appeared to be a subpoena coming from our city municipal courts. It was then that I realized that XXXX XXXX sold the debt to Portfolio Recovery while noting, for the first time the popping of a so called XXXX XXXX CA law firm, XXXX and XXXX. I was not aware at that time that these firms were serving robo signed court documents which appeared to have the support of the court. I started to ask for legal advice, but, having limited funds, and about to move out, didn't prosper. I only learned that this collection agency, Portfolio Recovery, in cahoots with the XXXX and XXXX, their so called legal enforcer, was able to secure a lien judgment against me in the amount of {$2100.00} in that same XXXX XXXX court. I was tried in absentia. I had no idea. Until my attention was called by my company Compliance Department officer,  that being an independent investments rep for XXXX XXXX XXXX, I was supposed to disclose that there was a lien judgment against me in my Form XXXX that needs to be submitted to FINRA.  This was in XX/XX/XXXX. That was the only time I realized the damage that these 2 firms, did on my credit and financial worthiness. I thought my story needs to be heard, because, since I was not denying that credit card debt, and was actually willing to settle it for pennies to the dollar, why move on lien judgment. These people actually tried to garnish my salary from my former employer, thinking I was still working there, so satisfy the court judgment. I know doubt the authenticity of that judgment and would seek legal representation to that effect. The worse effect this lien judgment did, on top of the garnishment, was, my application for licensure in the State of Missouri was suspended by the Securities Commissioner. He believed the disclosure was legit. That is why i need by voice to be heard. Otherwise many more will be victimized.