This company is a last ditch effort to try to collect a debt for pennies on a dollar. Even if it is for a unpaid parking tickets from 20 years ago. These collectors are all college students. They have been calling me or sending offers of removing this from my credit report for any amount i would be willing to give them. I have never once spoken to them or responded. I have nothing on my credit report that i couldn't have removed myself, since there is a statue of limitations to legaly try to collect on a debt because i was never taken to court and found legaly obligated to pay anything they may claim i owe on a 20 year old debt for a parking attendant ticket, a bank or any person or company, that for whatever reason decided not to legaly take you to court to collect on any money they may think that you owe them or even if you did and decided not to pay them for your own reasons and the debtor or collection company decided to not bring you into court and prove the debt was your responsibility. This collection agency (Portfolio recovery) is usually given to them by other agencies who were unable to collect on a debt that they had purchased from another agency or from the actual indebted person or company. Portfolio is relentless and has a higher % of success because its a, "take what they will give you approach" of collecting a debt that may or may not have had any merit and is now past any point of a legal obligation. I have read stories on social media of how these college kids would turn to name calling or even cursing at you for not paying even when they know you no longer legaly obligated to pay them anything. They work on commission and will fight for you to agree to send them $5 for 4 months on a $500 VERY old debt. I called my attorney once when they started calling me from every phone number from everywhere in the country and calling 20x's a day. It is kinda silly because all you need to do is explain to them that you have ne legal obligation to pay whatever they claimyou owe to the company. The ccompany's already removed the debt from their books and you are just paying Portfolios collection students tuition. I only stopped talking to any of these collection companiesonce there was no longer a legal rresponsibility to pay anything, whether i actually was previously responsible or not. Either way, if you try and explain to Portfolio why you would not pay them anything after 7,10,15.25 years later, is when the yelling and anger from them comes out. I even read of threats from some collectors talking to elderly people trying to get $20 from their S.S. check to pay what they claim is a $2,000 dollar write off for this poor company that doesnt understand how the system works. If anyone ever has a problem with these agents for a debt over 10 years, and they continue calling, making threats or name calling, if you begin recording the calls by telling them to STOP calling you and harassing you, and they just continue (which in most cases they will), that you now have a case against them legally in a class action lawsuit.
Now, dont get me wrong about borrowing money that you can't pay back or just never intended to pay back to a person or company. This drives interest rates up for the responsible ones who pay their debts.
Just remember that collection harassment is a crime. Punishable through law suits of relentless agencies like Portfolio. Also, not everyone who works for this collection agency is cursing or name calling and phoning 20x's a day. Some are either caring or at least they will act like they are, to see if you will pay them for talking a good line of B.S., on why you should just send them something to clear your good name and credit rating that was ruined 20 years ago.. Geez, 6 parking tickets while not able to find a parking spot to pick up your kids from daycare or missing that final exam for your college class. These geniuses expect you to park, pay a parking meter, then walk 2-3 miles to class, only to come back after classes to a expired meter and a metermaid, writing you another $40 ticket (that now has risen to $100 and a tire-booted car).
Either way, from my own research on #PortMeSomeCash , it certainly seems they are the bottom of the barrel for this form of trying to make a living through harassing you until you give them the last of your pennies in the ol' cookie jar or shirt off your back. Best bet, answer the call and tell them you do not know a Mr James Lane and that you just got this new phone number and please stop calling. That usually sends it to the "investigation" department until they are calling you 5 years later on your new phone that is costing you a payment plan at $30+ per month. This ringtone tells me your calling again! GIVE IT UP ALREADY! I GOT SPAM BLOCKER NOW!!!
Received another call from these clowns today. Called me regarding an alleged debt from 2007. Went to court on this bogus debt back in 2013, the Judge dismissed the case. They claimed I owed 3K on a credit card bill, but they had no paperwork to prove that I actually owed the debt. They were really hoping I would not show up like most people, so that they could be awarded the claim. Fooled them!
They were sold a ton of unverifiable debt from some creditor, that bought it off someone else, and as it trickle down the line to bottom feeders like this company, they have no proof that the debt is even owed/valid, which is why I went to court in the first place. While in Court, their hired Attorney try to get you out in the hallway to cut a deal, I told him no that I will let the Judge hear the case. As soon as we stepped in front of the Judge, he said he didn't have any supporting documentation so he moved to dismiss the case. The Judge told the Attorney, if you ever come up with any paperwork you can file again, but I doubt you will, then told me I was free to go. The case is on file with the Court System showing the case was dismissed. I did not owe this debt, and I was not about to pay for something I did not owe. They buy loans in bulk for cents on a dollar, so if 1% of the people pay up, they make money. Even if I did owe this debt, it is too late to collect on it anyway. The Statute of limitation in my State is 6 years which has long past.