What is Portfolio Recovery Associates?
Type of company: Debt collection agency (specifically a debt buyer; purchases charged-off debts from original creditors)
Parent company: PRA Group, Inc. (headquartered in Norfolk, VA)
Founded: 1996 (in Norfolk, VA)
Focus: Credit card debt, consumer loans, auto deficiencies, telecom and utility debts
Size: Between 3,100 and 3,400 employees (across 18 countries)
Revenue (2024): Approximately $1.11 billion
Known creditors: Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Synchrony Bank, Wells Fargo, HSBC, Discover
Why You Should Be Concerned
You’re not alone if you feel like you’re getting aggressive calls from this number. Portfolio Recovery Associates has been on the receiving end of two different Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) enforcement actions, resulting in more than $51 million in fines and restitution. The CFPB found PRA was collecting on unverified debts, filing incorrect court documents, and violating the terms of its consent decree. The company also agreed to pay $18 million to settle a class-action suit over robocalls to consumers’ cell phones. This isn’t a theoretical risk — this is a company that has already crossed a line.
Why is Portfolio Recovery Associates calling me?
They bought your debt
PRA is calling you because they purchased an old debt with your name on it. In 2024, the company spent a record $1.4 billion on charged-off consumer debts. When banks and credit card companies decide they are never going to get their money back, they sell those debts in bulk to companies like PRA for pennies on the dollar. The problem is that the paperwork on those debts can be spotty. The balance may be incorrect, the contact information may be outdated, and the debt may not even belong to you. In fact, the CFPB’s 2015 consent decree specifically found PRA was collecting debts without sufficient documentation.
1,120+ complaints
This number has attracted more than 1,120 complaints on the RoboKiller platform, which has logged 138,274 calls from this single number. Nomorobo classifies this number as a “Severe” robocall.
“They call me every day…at least 6,7,8 times…all different numbers…no message…I do not answer any calls,” reported one 800notes user.
“They constantly calling every single day…5-8 calls per day” wrote a PissedConsumer reviewer from Cleveland.
“They have been calling me for this debt for years now, and I have already paid it off. My debt was erased since 2012…I don’t understand why they keep calling me.”
Another consumer reported getting 17 calls a month from this number for four consecutive years about a debt they say they never owed.
How does Portfolio Recovery Associates operate?
PRA business model
To fight back against PRA, it helps to understand how the company operates. Portfolio Recovery Associates doesn’t work for your original lender. They bought your debt from your lender at a discount. Sometimes that discount can be as low as three to five cents on the dollar. For example, if you owed $5,000 on a credit card, PRA might have paid as little as $150-$250 for that debt. That matters because it means that every call, every letter, every court filing costs PRA money. And when you assert your rights as a consumer, it may become more cost-effective for the company to simply move on to the next account.
Automated dialing and number rotation
As evidenced by the complaints above, PRA appears to be using automated dialers that rotate through a series of phone numbers.
“I block their number, few days later receive call from them from another number. Have blocked 4 or 5 of their numbers, but they then call from a different number,” wrote an 800notes user.
If you simply block the number, PRA will just call from another one. The real key is to challenge the underlying debt itself.
The Mistake Most Consumers Make When a Debt Collector Calls
The temptation to pay it off
When debt collectors start calling, most consumers will just pay off the balance to make the calls stop. And that approach can make sense — you pay the debt, you stop the calls, you move on with your life. But simply paying off a debt collection can land you in even more trouble. Making a payment on a collection creates a paper trail that you acknowledge you owe the debt. And in some cases, that payment can even restart the clock on debts that have already passed the statute of limitations.
Why you shouldn’t call the debt collector
Many consumers will call a collection agency to try and negotiate a payment or dispute a balance. But that can put you at a disadvantage. It’s harder to keep a record of phone calls, and collection agents are trained to ask you the right questions to make you admit the debt is yours. Instead, you need to change where the fight is happening. Rather than engaging with a debt collector on their terms, focus on where the debt is really causing you problems — your credit report.
Why Your Credit Report Matters
The damage a collection can do
If you have a collection account on your credit report, it’s likely hurting your credit score. One collection account can drop a good credit score by 100 points or more, making it harder to get approved for a mortgage, an auto loan, or even a rental application. And that damage lingers even if you pay off the collection. A paid collection is still a negative account on your credit report, and it still dings your credit score.
Why you should seek removal
The goal here isn’t just to pay off a collection account — it’s to get the collection removed from your report altogether. And that’s where credit report disputes come in. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you have the right to dispute any item on your report you don’t think is accurate, complete, or verifiable. The credit reporting agency has 30 days to investigate, and if PRA can’t verify the account, the CRA has to delete it.
The thing is, PRA is buying debt with whatever paperwork the original creditor has on hand. And that paperwork may be incomplete. The account number might not match. The balance might include fees you didn’t agree to. The dates might be wrong. Any of those discrepancies are grounds for a dispute.
Reclaiming Your Financial Identity
It’s not just about the phone number
You’re getting calls from 866-430-0311, but the real issue isn’t the phone number — it’s the fact that Portfolio Recovery Associates has put a debt on your credit report, based on information they bought from someone else. Financial independence is about refusing to let PRA dictate your financial choices. Everything in your credit report is used to judge your creditworthiness. When you take an active role in managing your report and disputing items that don’t belong there, you’re taking back control of your financial identity.
Written communication is key
When you’re dealing with a debt collection, it’s essential to keep a written record of everything. Written communication creates a paper trail you can’t get from a phone call. If you file a dispute, that paper trail protects you. And if they violate your rights, it becomes evidence.
Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), you have the right to send a written cease-and-desist letter telling a debt collector to stop contacting you. Once they receive that letter, the collector can only contact you one more time — to confirm they received the letter or to notify you of an intent to file a lawsuit.
The calls aren’t going to stop
What you can do now
We know Portfolio Recovery Associates has made more than 138,000 logged calls from this one phone number. We know they rotate phone numbers when you block the call. And we know consumers are still getting calls even after they’ve paid their debt. Waiting for the calls to stop on their own isn’t a solution.
Instead, the best solution is to shift the fight to your credit report. Dispute the collection account. Force PRA to verify the debt. If they can’t, the account gets removed, and the calls and the damage both stop.
Let us help
At FightCollections.com, we specialize in disputing collection accounts from credit reports. We know how companies like Portfolio Recovery Associates operate. We know where the documentation weaknesses are. And we know how to use federal consumer protection laws to protect your rights.
If you’re getting calls from 866-430-0311, we can help.