Consumer complaint received 2025-11-20 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — I do not know
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this statement to explain in thorough detail what happened concerning the XXXX Portfolio Recovery ( Portfolio RC ) accounts that are currently being reported on my consumer credit files. These accounts, identified as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, with reported past-due balances of {$1500.00} and {$2400.00}, appear on my credit report as negative or derogatory items. I am disputing the accuracy, validity, and manner in which both accounts were added, verified, maintained, and continue to be furnished to the national consumer reporting agencies. 

The information being reported about these XXXX accounts is inaccurate, incomplete, unverified, and not supported by any legally required documentation. My concerns relate not only to the correctness of the reported debts themselves, but also to the investigative and verification procedures used by Portfolio Recovery Associates ( PRA ) and the credit reporting agencies when I attempted to resolve these issues. Because neither account has been properly validated or proven to be legally attributable to me, I believe the reporting of these accounts violates multiple parts of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ), and the Consumer Financial Protection Act ( CFPA ).

This explanation will describe the complete timeline, issues, evidence gaps, and violations that occurred, all of which ultimately led to my filing this complaint.

1. Initial Discovery of the Accounts I first became aware of the XXXX Portfolio Recovery accounts when I reviewed my credit report. These accounts appeared without any prior notice to me by mail, email, or any other form of communication from the original creditor or Portfolio Recovery themselves. I did not recognize the debts, the account numbers, or the balances. At no point before their appearance on my consumer reports did I receive : A bill A collection notice A validation notice under 15 U.S.C. 1692g Any communication allowing me the opportunity to dispute within 30 days Any explanation of ownership transfer or assignment The sudden and unexplained appearance of these two accounts was alarming and unclear. 

2. Lack of Prior Validation or Notification Under the FDCPA, a debt collector must provide a written notice within XXXX days of their first communication with a consumer. This notice must state : The amount of the alleged debt The name of the original creditor My right to dispute the debt My right to request verification My right to request the original creditors information I received none of these required documents for either account. This means Portfolio Recovery added these accounts to my credit report before ever providing me with lawful validation or notification. 

Without a proper validation notice, the accounts were placed in collection without my knowledge, and without giving me the chance to exercise my rights. 

3. Problems with the Reported Balances For Account XXXXXXXX XXXX Portfolio Recovery reported a past-due balance of {$1500.00}. 

For Account XXXXXXXX XXXX they reported a past-due balance of {$2400.00}. 

However, PRA has not provided : Any itemized statement Any breakdown of principal, interest, fees, or charges Any proof of how these amounts were calculated Any documentation from the supposed original creditor Any chain of assignment records Without such documentation, the amounts listed can not be verified as accurate or legally enforceable.

4. No Evidence These Accounts Belong to Me For both accounts, I requested documentation showing that I am the correct consumer associated with these alleged debts. Portfolio Recovery failed to provide : A signed contract or agreement An application with my signature Any personal identifiers proving ownership Statements from the original creditor A clear record of any purchases or payments Proof that the original accounts were ever opened by me Because debt buyers frequently purchase large portfolios of debts through bulk electronic spreadsheets, errors are common, and accounts are often assigned incorrectly. Without proper validation, there is no basis to conclude that these debts belong to me. 

5. No Proof of Legal Ownership of the Debts Portfolio Recovery Associates purchases charged-off debt portfolios, but they must legally prove ownership of each individual account before reporting or collecting. For both accounts, PRA has not provided : A bill of sale A purchase agreement A chain of title Transfer documents linking the debt to me specifically Debt buyers often receive only partial information, and courts have repeatedly found that debt purchasers can not rely on generalized portfolio purchase documents as proof of specific ownership. Because PRA did not provide a chain of custody for either account, there is no legal evidence they have the right to report or collect. 

6. Failure to Conduct a Meaningful Investigation When I disputed the accounts with the credit bureaus, they contacted Portfolio Recovery. PRA responded quickly with verified, yet no documentation was ever provided to me. This strongly suggests that PRA used an automated e-OSCAR response, which simply recycles the same data previously furnishedwithout reviewing documents. 

A meaningful investigation requires : Reviewing actual account documentation Inspecting original creditor records Providing evidence to support claims Portfolio Recovery did none of these things. 

Instead, it appears they simply pressed a button to confirm the information, relying on internal notes instead of documents. This violates FCRA 611, which requires a reasonable reinvestigation.

7. Potential Mixed File or Identity Confusion Because PRA did not provide any documentation linking these accounts to me, and because I have no recollection or financial history matching these debts, this raises the possibility of : A mixed file with another consumer Identity error Clerical error Incorrect matching using partial identifiers Misapplied digital data Debt buyers sometimes match accounts based on : Name similarities Partial social security numbers Old or outdated addresses Any of these could result in mistaken reporting of debts that do not belong to the consumer.

Without proper documentation, PRA can not prove these accounts belong to me.

8. Harm Caused by These Inaccurate Accounts The presence of these XXXX Portfolio Recovery accounts on my credit files has caused substantial harm : A. Credit Score Reduction Both accounts appear as derogatory, impacting my payment history, the most important credit scoring factor.

B. Higher Interest Rates I have been denied or offered unfavorable terms on financial applications due to these accounts.

C. Reputational Harm Potential creditors view these accounts as signs of financial irresponsibility, even though no proof has been provided that they are mine. 

D. Emotional Distress The sudden appearance of these debts without warning, communication, or documentation has created confusion, stress, and uncertainty.

E. Barriers to Housing and Employment Many landlords and employers use credit reports during screening. These accounts unfairly damage my opportunities in these areas. 

The harm I am experiencing is real, ongoing, and directly caused by the inaccurate, unverifiable reporting of these accounts. 

9. Legal Violations Involved A. FDCPA Violations Portfolio Recovery violated : 1692g ( a ) failure to send written validation notice 1692e false or misleading representations 1692e ( 2 ) ( A ) misrepresenting debt amount 1692e ( 8 ) failing to report disputed debts accurately 1692f unfair practices B. FCRA Violations Portfolio Recovery violated : 607 ( b ) failure to report with maximum possible accuracy 611 ( a ) failure to conduct reasonable reinvestigation 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) furnishing inaccurate information 623 ( a ) ( 3 ) failing to mark accounts as disputed C. CFPA ( UDAAP ) Violations Under CFPA, reporting unverifiable, inaccurate debts is considered an : Unfair practice Deceptive practice Abusive practice 10. My Attempts to Resolve the Issue I attempted multiple times to resolve the matter directly and through the credit bureaus : I disputed the accounts with Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

I requested validation from Portfolio Recovery.

I asked for documentation proving both debts.

I requested itemized statements and original creditor details.

I requested an investigation into potential identity errors.

Each time, PRA simply responded with verified without proof.

This means the accounts were never truly investigated.

11. What I Requested but Never Received For both accounts, I asked Portfolio Recovery to provide : Copies of signed contracts Original creditor statements Account-opening documentation Proof of last payment Itemized balance history Chain of assignment Validation under FDCPA Proof of ownership I received none of the above.

Because they can not validate the accounts, the reporting is inaccurate and should not continue.

12. Why These Accounts Must Not Be Reported Without Proof Furnishing negative information without supporting documentation is harmful and violates federal standards. Portfolio Recovery can not : Guess Assume Automate Estimate Reference internal notes They must provide actual evidence.

They have not done so.

Therefore, the presence of these accounts is unjustified.

13. What I Am Asking For Based on all of the above : The accounts appear without validation The balances are unsupported The ownership is unproven The debts are unverifiable The investigation was not meaningful My rights were violated I am requesting that these accounts be removed until such time as Portfolio Recovery can provide full, complete, and legally compliant documentation proving the debts are valid, attributable to me, accurate in amount, and legally owned by them. 

14. Summary In summary, the XXXX Portfolio Recovery XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( {$1500.00} ) and XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( {$2400.00} ) were added to my credit report without notice, without validation, without proof of ownership, and without meaningful investigation. Portfolio Recovery failed to provide proper documentation, failed to show that these debts belong to me, and failed to comply with federal law. The continued reporting of these accounts is inaccurate, unjustified, harmful, and in violation of the FCRA, FDCPA, and CFPA.

This is what happened, and this is why I am disputing both accounts.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation