Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA)

In short

PRA buys old debts and collects them. Dispute in writing, to the address on your validation notice, before the validation period ends, and ask for verification and the original creditor; PRA must stop collecting until it answers. Dispute any PRA entry with the credit bureaus and with PRA directly. A CFPB complaint gets a timely answer: in the 12 months to June 2026 PRA closed 55% of CFPB complaints with non-monetary relief but none with monetary relief. In 2023 a federal court entered a CFPB order against PRA over alleged collection of unsubstantiated debts and mishandled credit disputes.

How complaints actually go

• PRA's consumer site has a disputes contact page offering phone, live chat, email or mail, and a contact page with 1-800-772-1413, pracustomercare@portfoliorecovery.com and 120 Corporate Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23502. Seen in search-engine extracts; the site failed automated fetches. PRA: disputes contact information PRA: contact and FAQs
• PRA Group's corporate site lists 1-800-772-1413 and a headquarters at 150 Corporate Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23502, and links U.S. consumers to portfoliorecovery.com. PRA Group: contact us
• A written dispute within the validation period stops collection of the disputed debt until the collector sends verification or a judgment. CFPB: Regulation F 1006.38
• CFPB complaints go to PRA for a written response; 20,568 of 20,723 PRA responses in the 12 months to June 2026 were timely. CFPB complaint database search

What tends to work

• Send the dispute by certified mail with a return receipt, within 30 days of receiving the validation information, and keep a copy. FTC: debt collection FAQs
• Ask in the same letter for the original creditor's name and address; a written request within the validation period also pauses collection until PRA answers. CFPB: Regulation F 1006.38
• For a wrong credit report entry, dispute with each bureau and send a direct dispute to PRA at the address on your report; PRA must investigate within the bureau time limit. CFPB: Regulation V 1022.43
• Escalate to the CFPB with dates and copies. In the 12 months to June 2026, 11,471 of 20,723 PRA complaints (55.4%) closed with non-monetary relief. CFPB complaint database search
• Point to PRA's record: in the case behind the CFPB's 2023 order (E.D. Va., entered April 13, 2023), the CFPB alleged that PRA collected debts without substantiation, sued on time-barred debts and did not reasonably investigate credit reporting disputes. The order requires at least $12.18 million in redress and a $12 million penalty. CFPB: Portfolio Recovery Associates

Traps and fine print

• If you do not dispute within the validation period, the collector can assume the debt is valid, though failing to dispute is not a legal admission that you owe it. FTC: debt collection FAQs CFPB: Regulation F 1006.38
• PRA's addresses differ between its consumer site (120 Corporate Blvd) and its corporate site (150 Corporate Blvd). Use the dispute address on your validation notice or credit report. PRA Group: contact us PRA: contact and FAQs
• An email counts as a written dispute only if the collector accepts electronic communication through that address; mail a copy as well. CFPB: Regulation F 1006.38
• The CFPB says companies sometimes choose "Closed with explanation" even when the consumer got relief, so read PRA's written answer, not just the category. CFPB 2025 Consumer Response Annual Report

By the numbers

• CFPB complaints received July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 for "Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC": 20,723. Products: debt collection 16,518, credit reporting 3,989, credit card 154. Data retrieved 2026-10-13. CFPB complaint database search
• Top issues: attempts to collect debt not owed 6,709 (debt is not yours 4,504; result of identity theft 1,830; debt was paid 210), threatened negative or legal action 4,434 (mostly "threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged", 4,082), written notification about debt 2,448 (not enough information to verify the debt, 1,972). CFPB complaint database search
• Outcomes: 11,471 closed with non-monetary relief, 9,250 with explanation, 2 in progress, none with monetary relief; 155 responses were not timely. CFPB complaint database search
• Across all collectors in 2025, companies closed 23% of CFPB debt collection complaints with non-monetary relief and 0.1% with monetary relief. CFPB 2025 Consumer Response Annual Report

Scams that target customers

• Callers who threaten arrest or demand immediate payment are not acting like licensed collectors; collectors may not threaten arrest or pretend to be lawyers or government officials. FTC: debt collection FAQs
• Do not give personal or financial information until you have the validation information. Check a caller's number against PRA's "Who's Calling From" pages, or call the number on your letter. FTC: debt collection FAQs PRA: who's calling
• Business imposters, including "phantom debt" schemes, cost people $3.5 billion in imposter losses reported to the FTC in 2025. Report fake collectors at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. FTC, June 15, 2026