Consumer complaint received 2026-03-22 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC
State: OH

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint against Portfolio Recovery Associates , LLC ( PRA ) for unlawfully reporting and collecting on an alleged debt that has never been verified, validated, or proven to be legally collectible.PRA is currently reporting an alleged balance of {$970.00} originally attributed to XXXX XXXX ( Account No. XXXX ) on my consumer credit reports. This account is inaccurate, unverified, and I have reasonable cause to believe it is past the applicable statute of limitations.On XX/XX/year>, I sent a formal Cease and Desist and Debt Validation Letter to PRA via XXXX XXXX Mail. In that letter, I demanded that PRA : Immediately cease all collection activity on this account ; Provide complete and legally sufficient written validation of the alleged debt ; and Remove this account from my consumer credit reports with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX As of the date of this complaint, Portfolio Recovery Associates has failed to respond in any way. They have not provided validation. They have not ceased reporting. They have completely ignored my written request a direct violation of federal consumer protection law.Furthermore, PRA has refused to disclose the date of first delinquency on this account. This refusal makes it impossible for me to confirm whether this debt even falls within the FCRA 's 7-year permissible reporting window. This is a deliberate withholding of legally required information.FEDERAL LAW VIOLATIONSVIOLATION 1 Reporting Inaccurate & Unverified Information [ FCRA 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( b ) ] PRA is furnishing inaccurate and unverified information to consumer reporting agencies. Upon receiving my written dispute, PRA was legally required to conduct a reasonable investigation and correct or delete any information it could not verify. It did neither. The continued reporting of this account is a willful violation of FCRA Section 1681s-2 ( b ) .VIOLATION 2 Reporting a Time-Barred or Obsolete Debt [ FCRA 15 U.S.C. 1681c ( a ) ( 4 ) ] Federal law prohibits the reporting of any account more than 7 years from the date of first delinquency. PRA has refused to disclose this date, preventing me from confirming whether this account is legally reportable at all. Continuing to report or collect on a time-barred debt without proper disclosure is also a deceptive practice prohibited under FDCPA 15 U.S.C. 1692e.VIOLATION 3 Failure to Provide Legal Debt Validation [ FDCPA 15 U.S.C. 1692g ] Upon receiving a written validation request, a debt collector must cease all collection activity until it provides adequate validation. PRA has not produced : ( 1 ) the original signed agreement between the consumer and XXXX XXXX ; ( 2 ) a complete and accurate account payment history; or ( 3 ) proof of a valid chain of assignment granting PRA authority to collect this debt. A computer-generated summary is not legally sufficient debt validation.VIOLATION 4 Continued Collection Activity After Written Cease and Desist [ FDCPA 15 U.S.C. 1692c ( c ) ] After receiving my written Cease and Desist on XX/XX/year>, PRA continued to report this unverified account to the credit bureaus without providing validation or any response. FDCPA Section 1692c ( c ) requires a debt collector to stop all collection communications and activity upon receipt of a written cease and desist. PRA 's continued reporting constitutes an ongoing, willful violation of federal law.HARM CAUSED TO THE CONSUMERPRA 's unlawful conduct has caused me the following documented harms : Significant damage to my consumer credit score due to the inaccurate, unverified tradeline being reported across all three major credit bureaus. Denial of a loan, housing, or employment opportunity as a direct result of this derogatory account appearing on my credit file. Being subjected to higher interest rates and unfavorable credit terms because of this unverified negative account. Significant emotional distress and financial injury resulting from PRA 's complete refusal to respond, validate, or remove the account as required by federal law.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief