Consumer complaint received 2025-06-17 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Credit card debt
Issue: Written notification about debt — Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Company: Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
ORIGINAL CREDITOR : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX : PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES VIOLATIONS : PRIVACY ACT OF 1974, REPORTING TRANSACTION HISTORY, RIGHT TO OPT OUT NOTICE, SELLING AND USE OF NONPUBLIC PERSONAL INFORMATION, HARRASMENT, CORRESPONDING LAWS : -15 USC 1681- ( F ) CONSUMER REPORTING -15 USC 6801- PROTECTION OF NON-PUBLIC PERSONAL INFO.

( a ) Privacy obligation policy It is the policy of the Congress that each financial institution has an affirmative and continuing obligation to respect the privacy of its customers and to protect the security and confidentiality of those customers nonpublic personal information.

( b ) Financial institutions safeguards In furtherance of the policy in subsection ( a ), each agency or authority described in section 6805 ( a ) of this title, other than the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, shall establish appropriate standards for the financial institutions subject to their jurisdiction relating to administrative, technical, and physical safeguards ( 1 ) to insure the security and confidentiality of customer records and information ; ( 2 ) to protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such records ; and ( 3 ) to protect against unauthorized access to or use of such records or information which could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any customer.

15 USC 6802- OBLIGATIONS WITH RESPECT TO DISCLOSURES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION ( a ) Notice requirements Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, a financial institution may not, directly or through any affiliate, disclose to a nonaffiliated third party any nonpublic personal information, unless such financial institution provides or has provided to the consumer a notice that complies with section 6803 of this title.

( b ) Opt out ( 1 ) In general A financial institution may not disclose nonpublic personal information to a nonaffiliated third party unless ( A ) such financial institution clearly and conspicuously discloses to the consumer, in writing or in electronic form or other form permitted by the regulations prescribed under section 6804 of this title, that such information may be disclosed to such third party ; ( B ) the consumer is given the opportunity, before the time that such information is initially disclosed, to direct that such information not be disclosed to such third party ; and ( C ) the consumer is given an explanation of how the consumer can exercise that nondisclosure option.

15 USC 6803- DISCLOSURE OF INSTITUTION OF PRIVACY POLICY ( a ) Disclosure required At the time of establishing a customer relationship with a consumer and not less than annually during the continuation of such relationship, a financial institution shall provide a clear and conspicuous disclosure to such consumer, in writing or in electronic form or other form permitted by the regulations prescribed under section 6804 of this title, of such financial institutions policies and practices with respect to ( 1 ) disclosing nonpublic personal information to affiliates and nonaffiliated third parties, consistent with section 6802 of this title, including the categories of information that may be disclosed ; ( 2 ) disclosing nonpublic personal information of persons who have ceased to be customers of the financial institution ; and ( 3 ) protecting the nonpublic personal information of consumers.

( b ) Regulations Disclosures required by subsection ( a ) shall be made in accordance with the regulations prescribed under section 6804 of this title.

15 USC 6804- RULEMAKING ( a ) Regulatory authority ( 1 ) Rulemaking ( A ) In general Except as provided in subparagraph ( C ), the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection and the Securities and Exchange Commission shall have authority to prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this subchapter with respect to financial institutions and other persons subject to their respective jurisdiction under section 6805 of this title ( and notwithstanding subtitle B of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 [ 12 U.S.C . 5511 et seq. ] ), except that the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection shall not have authority to prescribe regulations with respect to the standards under section 6801 of this title.

( B ) CFTC The Commodity Futures Trading Commission shall have authority to prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this subchapter with respect to financial institutions and other persons subject to the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission under section 7b2 of title 7.

( C ) Federal Trade Commission authority Notwithstanding the authority of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection under subparagraph ( A ), the Federal Trade Commission shall have authority to prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this subchapter with respect to any financial institution that is a person described in section 1029 ( a ) of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 [ 12 U.S.C. 5519 ( a ) ].

( D ) Rule of construction Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to alter, affect, or otherwise limit the authority of a State insurance authority to adopt regulations to carry out this subchapter.

( 2 ) Coordination, consistency, and comparability Each of the agencies authorized under paragraph ( 1 ) to prescribe regulations shall consult and coordinate with the other such agencies and, as appropriate, and with [ 1 ] representatives of State insurance authorities designated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, for the purpose of assuring, to the extent possible, that the regulations prescribed by each such agency are consistent and comparable with the regulations prescribed by the other such agencies.

( 3 ) Procedures and deadline Such regulations shall be prescribed in accordance with applicable requirements of title 5.

( b ) Authority to grant exceptions The regulations prescribed under subsection ( a ) may include such additional exceptions to subsections ( a ) through ( d ) of section 6802 of this title as are deemed consistent with the purposes of this subchapter.15 USC 6805- ENFORCEMENT 16 cfr 313.7 Form of opt out notice to consumers ; opt out methods.

( a ) t to disclose, and all of the categories of nonaffiliated third parties to which you disclose the information, as described in 313.6 ( a ) ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) and state that the consumer can opt out of the disclosure of that information; and ( B ) Identify the financial products or services that the consumer obtains from you, either singly or jointly, to which the opt out direction would apply.

( ii ) Reasonable opt out means. You provide a reasonable means to exercise an opt out right if you : ( A ) Designate check-off boxes in a prominent position on the relevant forms with the opt out notice ; ( B ) Include a reply form that includes the address to which the form should be mailed ; or ( C ) Provide an electronic means to opt out, such as a form that can be sent via electronic mail or a process at your web site, if the consumer agrees to the electronic delivery of information ; or ( D ) Provide a toll-free telephone number that consumers may call to opt out.

( iii ) Unreasonable opt out means. You do not provide a reasonable means of opting out if : ( A ) The only means of opting out is for the consumer to write his or her own letter to exercise that opt out right; or ( B ) The only means of opting out as described in any notice subsequent to the initial notice is to use a check-off box that you provided with the initial notice but did not include with the subsequent notice. ( iv ) Specific opt out means. You may require each consumer to opt out through a specific means, as long as that means is reasonable for that consumer.

( b ) Same form as initial notice permitted. You may provide the opt out notice together with or on the same written or electronic form as the initial notice you provide in accordance with 313 ( 1 ) Form of opt out notice. If you are required to provide an opt out notice under 313.10 ( a ), you must provide a clear and conspicuous notice to each of your consumers that accurately explains the right to opt out under that section. The notice must state : ( i ) That you disclose or reserve the right to disclose nonpublic personal information about your consumer to a nonaffiliated third party ; ( ii ) That the consumer has the right to opt out of that disclosure; and ( iii ) A reasonable means by which the consumer may exercise the opt out right.

( 2 ) Examples ( i ) Adequate opt out notice. You provide adequate notice that the consumer can opt out of the disclosure of nonpublic personal information to a nonaffiliated third party if you : ( A ) Identify all of the categories of nonpublic personal information that you disclose or reserve the righ.4.

( c ) Initial notice required when opt out notice delivered subsequent to initial notice. If you provide the opt out notice later than required for the initial notice in accordance with 313.4, you must also include a copy of the initial notice with the opt out notice in writing or, if the consumer agrees, electronically.

( d ) Joint relationships.

( 1 ) If two or more consumers jointly obtain a financial product or service from you, you may provide a single opt out notice, unless one or more of those consumers requests a separate opt out notice. Your opt out notice must explain how you will treat an opt out direction by a joint consumer ( as explained in paragraph ( d ) ( 5 ) ( ii ) of this section ).

( 2 ) Any of the joint consumers may exercise the right to opt out. You may either : ( i ) Treat an opt out direction by a joint consumer as applying to all of the associated joint consumers; or ( ii ) Permit each joint consumer to opt out separately.

( 3 ) If you permit each joint consumer to opt out separately, you must permit one of the joint consumers to opt out on behalf of all of the joint consumers.

( 4 ) You may not require all joint consumers to opt out before you implement any opt out direction. 
( 5 ) Example. If XXXX and XXXX have a joint credit card account with you and arrange for you to send statements to XXXXXXXX XXXX address, you may do any of the following, but you must explain in your opt out notice which opt out policy you will follow : ( i ) Send a single opt out notice to XXXXXXXX XXXX address, but you must accept an opt out direction from either XXXX or XXXX. 
( ii ) Treat an opt out direction by either XXXX or XXXX as applying to the entire account. If you do so, and XXXX opts out, you may not require XXXX to opt out as well before implementing XXXXXXXX XXXX  opt out direction. 
( iii ) Permit XXXX and XXXX to make different opt out directions. If you do so, ( A ) You must permit XXXX and XXXX to opt out for each other; ( B ) If both opt out, you must permit both to notify you in a single response ( such as on a form or through a telephone call ) ; and ( C ) If XXXX opts out and XXXX does not, you may only disclose nonpublic personal information about XXXX, but not about XXXX and not about XXXX and XXXX jointly. 
( XXXX ) Time to comply with opt out. You must comply with a consumer 's opt out direction as soon as reasonably practicable after you receive it. 
( f ) Continuing right to opt out. A consumer may exercise the right to opt out at any time.

( g ) Duration of consumer 's opt out direction.

( 1 ) A consumer 's direction to opt out under this section is effective until the consumer revokes it in writing or, if the consumer agrees, electronically.

( 2 ) When a customer relationship terminates, the customer 's opt out direction continues to apply to the nonpublic personal information that you collected during or related to that relationship. If the individual subsequently establishes a new customer relationship with you, the opt out direction that applied to the former relationship does not apply to the new relationship.

( h ) Delivery. When you are required to deliver an opt out notice by this section, you must deliver it according to 313.9.

( i ) Model privacy form. Pursuant to 313.2 ( a ) of this part, a model privacy form that meets the notice content requirements of this section is included in appendix A of this part.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation