Portfolio Recovery telephone calls

[Anonymous]

I keep getting telephone calls from "Portfolio Recovery" - I see the name/number come up on my home telephone caller ID.  Like most numbers, if I don't recognize it, I don't answer.  Figure if it's really important or critical they will leave a message, but they never do.  So doing a little research found out who they are what their gameplan is. 

I have been vigilant with my credit history.  I have excellent credit, always pay bills on time, never had an outstanding balance on a closed account, etc.  Checked my credit reports last night and saw no errors, no negative marks, no collections.  Plus I have never received a past due notice from any accounts via mail.  I have also never received any other communications from Portfolio Recovery, no calls to my cell phone, no mailings, no calls to any other number, just to my home landline telephone.  They started calling a couple days ago, about twice a day. 

My question is, should I even bother to answer the telephone next time they call or just ignore them?  I am pretty sure they are calling the wrong number.  Either someone had this number years ago or they just have the wrong telephone number. My number is similar to the local realtor in town and I get calls for them every so often.  I had a similar issue about 7 years ago when I got a new job and was given a work cell.  The guy who had the number before me had collection agencies after him.  I would constantly get calls from them looking for him.  Even after I told them they had the wrong person and he didn't have use of this number anymore they would still call.  This went on for a good two years before it finally stopped!

If I do decide to answer the telephone next time they call I've already set myself up with a recording device to record the call for my protection.  So again, the question is, answer the telephone next time or just let this go?

[Cageym]

I would answer it and tell them the person they are looking for doesn't live at that number. Then tell them to NEVER call it again.

[Anonymous]

My concern is that if I finally answered these telephone calls, and tell them they have a wrong number, will they not believe me and continue to call.  Now that they finally got a hold of someone, they have a good telephone number.  That's exactly what happened with my work cell.  I would explain to them they were calling the wrong person but they would continue to call.

My thought is if I don't answer, they will eventually give up, figuring they have a dead end number.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

My concern is that if I finally answered these telephone calls, and tell them they have a wrong number, will they not believe me and continue to call.  Now that they finally got a hold of someone, they have a good telephone number.  That's exactly what happened with my work cell.  I would explain to them they were calling the wrong person but they would continue to call.

My thought is if I don't answer, they will eventually give up, figuring they have a dead end number.

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I get calls from collectors for others all the time.  Time and again I tell them they have the wrong number and they continue to call, sometimes several times a day.  I finally got fed up with them and told them they were violating the FDCPA in more than one way and if they continued I would report them.    They have since stopped calling.

[RobertEG]

Personally, I would answer the phone.  It tirggers your rights under the FDCPA.

FDCPA 809(a) triggers a requirement that a debt collector must send formal dunning notice within 5 days after an "initial communication with the consumer."

Until you answer the phone and they assert you owe a debt, you dont have a clear initial communication.

If they assert you are the consumer alleged to owe the debt, then simply inform them to provide you notice in writing, get their name and address, and hang up.

With their name and address, you can immediately send them a DV, barring any further collection activity on their part until such time as they provide you verification of the allleged debt.

If they assert they are calling regarding another consumer, they cannot state that they are calling regarding any debt, and can only request that you provide location information for that party.  By answering, if they are calling regarding a third party, that triggers their limitation to one call unless they assert that a previous call was not fully responsive, or that they have specific reason to believe that you have obtained location information since their prior call.