NRA Group Phone Harassment?

If you are receiving calls, texts, or collection letters from NRA Group, you are not alone — and you have rights. As consumer-protection attorneys, we have reviewed hundreds of intake calls involving this company over the past several years. The same patterns appear again and again: repeated contact after cease requests, calls placed to the wrong person, disputed accounts that never get properly investigated, and credit reporting that lingers long after the consumer has shown the debt isn’t theirs.

This guide explains who NRA Group is, why they may be contacting you, what your rights are, and what to do next.

1. Who Is NRA Group?

NRA Group, LLC — operating under the trade name National Recovery Agency — is a third-party debt collection agency headquartered at 2491 Paxton Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17111. The current entity was formed in 2005 through the asset acquisition of National Recovery Agency (with predecessor operations dating to 1976) and Credit Plus Solutions Group. The same corporate address also houses American Agencies, LLC, an affiliated collection entity founded in 1969.

NRA Group’s CEO is Steven C. Kusic, and the company is a privately held, woman-owned LLC organized under Pennsylvania law.

NRA Group’s collection portfolio spans a wide range of industries:

• Healthcare and medical billing
• Telecommunications and cable
• Utilities (gas, electric, water)
• Retail and credit card debt
• Government receivables (including tolls and tax)
• Education
• Direct marketing
• Purchased / debt-buyer portfolios

The company provides first- and third-party collections, skip tracing, credit bureau reporting, debt purchasing, payment processing, and litigation through a nationwide network of collection counsel.

2. Is NRA Group Legit or a Scam?

NRA Group is a legitimate, licensed debt collection agency — not a scam. It is BBB-accredited (since March 25, 2020), has been in business under its current corporate structure for roughly two decades, and is one of the more recognizable mid-size collectors in the United States.

That said, legitimacy is not the same as lawful conduct. NRA Group has been named in well over 200 federal lawsuits, and its BBB profile reflects hundreds of unresolved consumer complaints. In our practice, the recurring issue is not whether NRA Group is “real” — it is whether the specific account they are pursuing is valid, properly documented, and being collected within the bounds of federal law.

3. Why Is NRA Group Calling Me?

NRA Group is contacting you because either (a) one of its 800-plus business clients has placed your account with them for collection, or (b) NRA purchased the debt outright as part of a portfolio. They are trying to collect money on someone’s behalf — but that does not automatically mean the debt is yours, accurate, or legally enforceable.

The most common underlying account types we see:

• Unpaid hospital, ER, or physician balances
• Cell phone or cable termination fees
• Past-due utility accounts after a move-out
• Toll authority violations
• Retail store credit cards
• Government-issued debts
• Purchased credit card or installment debt

In our practice, clients report receiving NRA Group calls on debts that fall into one of the following categories:

• The debt belongs to someone else with a similar name
• The account was already paid or covered by insurance
• The debt is beyond the statute of limitations
• The debt is the result of identity theft
• The “date of last activity” has been re-aged to make the account look fresher than it is

If you do not recognize the original creditor, your first move is not payment — it is a written debt validation request.

4. Consumer Complaints: BBB, CFPB, and Public Reviews

NRA Group’s Better Business Bureau profile shows several hundred consumer complaints over the past three years. Pulling back to the broader picture, the has historically logged dozens of NRA Group complaints per year in its public database. The complaint patterns are remarkably consistent.

Representative complaint themes — paraphrased from BBB and CFPB filings:

“I told them in writing that the bill was covered by my insurance and sent the EOB. They refused to remove it and threatened to report it to the credit bureaus anyway.”

“I have no contract with NRA Group. I never did business with the company they say I owe. I requested validation and they sent me another bill instead of proof.”

“I replied STOP to their texts more than once. The messages did not stop. They kept coming every few days from different numbers.”

The three patterns that dominate are: (1) collection of disputed or insurance-covered medical debt, (2) refusal to remove negative tradelines after a written dispute, and (3) continued communication after a clear request to stop.

In our practice, we frequently see consumers who properly disputed an NRA Group account in writing — and the company simply reverified the debt with the credit bureaus without conducting any meaningful investigation. That is precisely the conduct the FDCPA and FCRA were drafted to prevent.

5. Phone Harassment Patterns

Based on consumer reports across BBB, CFPB, Reddit, Quora, and our own intake, NRA Group harassment tends to follow a familiar template:

• 3–5 calls per week, often from multiple area codes
• Repeated text messages, even after the consumer replies “STOP”
• Wrong-party calls — continued calling after being told the person reached is not the debtor
• Automated/prerecorded messages and SMS blasts, particularly on healthcare and utility portfolios
• Refusal to identify the original creditor during the first conversation, with collectors pivoting straight to payment-plan offers
• Implied or explicit threats of credit reporting, legal action, or wage garnishment used as pressure points
• Calls before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. in the consumer’s local time zone

We frequently see consumers told by NRA Group representatives that “the only way to stop the calls is to set up a payment plan.” That is not the law. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c), a written request to cease communication is enforceable on its own — no payment required.

6. Federal Lawsuits Against NRA Group

NRA Group has been a party to more than 200 federal lawsuits, with most centering on FDCPA violations. Three cases illustrate the patterns consumers most often experience.

Case 1: Chamberlain v. NRA Group, LLC — Texts After “STOP”

• Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• Case No.: 1:21-cv-00281-KM
• Claims: FDCPA § 1692c(c) — continued communication after written cease request

Plaintiff Autumn Chamberlain alleged that NRA Group sent debt collection text messages to consumers even after they replied “STOP” to opt out of further contact. The court certified a class covering all U.S. consumers who received NRA collection texts between November 19, 2020 and February 16, 2021 after replying “STOP,” “Stop,” or “stop.” A formal notice of class action was distributed to potential class members in 2025.

Reference: https://chamberlainvnra.com/NRA_Notice.pdf

Firm insight: This case directly mirrors complaints we field every month. The “STOP” reply is one of the most valuable pieces of evidence a consumer can preserve. Screenshot the message, save the timestamp, and never delete the thread — that screenshot is often the entire case.

Case 2: Zirogiannis v. National Recovery Agency, Inc. — Defective Validation Notice

• Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• Case No.: 2:14-cv-03954
• Claims: FDCPA § 1692g — defective validation disclosure

Plaintiff Jeannette Zirogiannis received a collection letter from NRA regarding a National Grid Long Island debt. She alleged that the letter’s structure misled consumers about their dispute rights under the FDCPA. The court denied NRA’s motion for summary judgment in December 2015 and certified the class in December 2016, allowing the case to proceed as a class action.

Reference (Justia): https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/new-york/nyedce/2:2014cv03954/358027/52/

Firm insight: Defective validation notices remain one of the most common defects we see in NRA correspondence. If your initial collection letter does not plainly state your 30-day right to dispute the debt, or buries that disclosure beneath contradictory language, that letter alone may give rise to a viable FDCPA claim.

Case 3: Ford et al. v. NRA Group, LLC — Continued Texts Despite Prior Notice

• Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• Case No.: 1:23-cv-00505-SHR
• Claims: FDCPA § 1692c(c) — continued communication after cease request

Plaintiffs residing in Indiana, Maryland, and Massachusetts alleged that NRA Group continued sending collection text messages after each plaintiff replied “STOP.” A key allegation: NRA continued this practice despite already being on notice through the earlier Chamberlain litigation.

Reference: https://www.classaction.org/news/debt-collector-national-recovery-agency-bombards-consumers-with-unwanted-texts-class-action-says

Firm insight: When a debt collector repeats the same allegedly unlawful conduct across separate lawsuits, courts and juries notice. Pattern evidence strengthens both individual and class claims — and it makes punitive elements far more accessible.

7. How to Stop the Calls

A practical, attorney-recommended sequence:

Step 1 — Document everything. Keep a written call log: date, time, phone number, agent name, and a one-line summary of what was said. Save every voicemail. Screenshot every text — including timestamps.

Step 2 — Send a written cease-and-desist letter by certified mail. Under FDCPA § 1692c(c), once NRA Group receives your written request to stop, they must stop, except to send specific statutory notices. Verbal requests are routinely ignored — put it in writing.

Step 3 — Demand debt validation. Within 30 days of the initial communication, send a written validation request under § 1692g. Until NRA validates the debt with admissible documentation, collection efforts should pause.

Step 4 — Dispute with the credit bureaus. If NRA is reporting the account on your Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion file, file a written dispute. This triggers an independent investigation duty under the Fair Credit Reporting Act for both NRA and the bureau.

Step 5 — File complaints. Submit complaints to the CFPB (consumerfinance.gov), your state attorney general, and the BBB. These create a documented record and signal to NRA that you are paying attention.

Step 6 — Consult a consumer-rights attorney. The FDCPA and TCPA are fee-shifting statutes. If NRA violated the law, the collector pays your legal fees — not you. There is generally no reason to leave a viable claim on the table.

In our practice, the single most decisive step is a properly drafted certified-mail letter that combines a validation demand with a cease-communication request. Done correctly, that one letter changes the conversation immediately.

8. What Are Your Rights?

Two federal statutes do most of the heavy lifting.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) — 15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq.

The FDCPA prohibits debt collectors from harassing, abusing, or deceiving consumers. NRA Group may not:

• Call before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. local time
• Continue contacting you after a written cease request
• Misrepresent the amount, character, or legal status of a debt
• Threaten lawsuits, arrest, or wage garnishment they cannot or do not intend to pursue
• Discuss your debt with third parties (employers, family, neighbors)
• Use obscene, profane, or abusive language
• Fail to identify themselves as a debt collector

Remedies: Up to $1,000 in statutory damages per consumer, plus actual damages, attorney’s fees, and costs.

Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) — 47 U.S.C. § 227

The TCPA restricts autodialed and prerecorded calls and texts to cell phones without prior express consent — and crucially, that consent can be revoked at any time, including by reply “STOP.”

Remedies: $500 per call or text, trebled to $1,500 for knowing or willful violations. Statutory damages stack per violation, which can add up quickly in a high-volume text campaign.

Used together, these statutes give consumers real economic leverage. They are designed to be enforced by private lawsuit, not regulators — and they are.

9. Frequently Asked Questions

What is NRA Group? NRA Group, LLC is a third-party debt collection agency operating as National Recovery Agency and as American Agencies, LLC, headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It collects across healthcare, utilities, telecom, retail, government, and purchased-debt portfolios for more than 800 client businesses.

Is NRA Group legit? Yes. NRA Group is a legitimate, BBB-accredited collection agency that has been in business under its current structure since 2005, with predecessor operations dating back to 1976. Legitimacy, however, is separate from lawful conduct — the company has faced over 200 federal lawsuits and hundreds of BBB complaints.

Why is NRA Group calling me? Because a creditor has placed an account in collections with NRA Group, or NRA purchased your debt as part of a portfolio. It may be a medical bill, utility, telecom, retail, or government balance. In our practice, we routinely see calls placed on debts that are inaccurate, already paid, time-barred, or directed at the wrong person — so don’t assume the debt is yours just because they called.

Can NRA Group sue me? Yes. NRA Group maintains a nationwide network of collection attorneys and does file lawsuits in state court when it believes a debt is collectible and within the statute of limitations. Do not ignore a summons. Failing to respond produces a default judgment, which can lead to wage garnishment or bank levies. If you are served, contact a consumer attorney immediately.

Can NRA Group report to credit bureaus? Yes. NRA Group furnishes data to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. If the account is inaccurate, unverified, or not yours, dispute it in writing under the FCRA. Furnishers — including NRA — have an independent legal duty to conduct a reasonable investigation upon receipt of a consumer dispute.

What is NRA Group’s phone number? Per the company’s own filings and BBB profile, NRA Group’s main number is 800-360-9953, with the corporate line at 717-540-7636. Important: NRA Group has publicly stated that the numbers 844-210-5817 and 844-226-8637 are not associated with the company — calls from those numbers may indicate a scam impersonator. Always verify by calling the published number directly.

Is NRA Group a scam? NRA Group itself is not a scam — it is a real, licensed collection agency. However, scammers regularly impersonate legitimate collectors. Red flags include: a caller refusing to identify the original creditor, demands for payment by gift card or wire transfer, threats of immediate arrest, or pressure to “press 1” to confirm personal information. If you see those signs, hang up and contact NRA Group directly using the verified number above.

Final Word

If NRA Group is calling, texting, or reporting on you, and the conduct described above matches your experience, you may have a federal FDCPA or TCPA claim. Both statutes are fee-shifting, meaning a successful case generally costs the consumer nothing out of pocket. The first step is preserving your evidence — call logs, text screenshots, voicemails, and every collection letter you have received. From there, a brief case review with experienced consumer counsel will tell you whether your rights have been violated and what the next move should be.

Consumer Rights Law Firm PLLC

Consumer Rights Law Firm PLLC is a law firm that specializes in helping clients who are facing harassment from debt collectors in any form, including telephone communication. Rather than suffer alone, contact our office to begin the process to stop the NRA Group harassment. Our office has been assisting consumers since 2010. We have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

If you are interested in learning more about how to safeguard yourself and prevent harassment from NRA Group. call us at (877)700-5790 for immediate assistance or visit our website.

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