Consumer complaint received 2022-03-11
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: FL
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Information belongs to someone else

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an alert from a Credit Monitoring service indicating a hard inquiry was done on my Equifax credit report. This was an unauthorized and potentially fradulent inquiry, I have never attempted to open an account with the Credit Issuer who pulled my credit. After reporting potential fraud to Credit Issuer, they cancelled the pending order associated to this inquiry, and noted that the only information provided by the customer that match my profile was ( 1 ) First and Last Name ( 2 ) City, State and Zipcode. All other info did not match my profile. Customer did NOT provide ANY social security ( thus no match with me ), the house number and street are different, the contact number was different, and no drivers license was provided or did not match. The Credit Issuer even performed several searches in their system using my info, and no results would match. They quickly understood it clearly wasn't an inquiry I made and advised me to dispute the inquiry with Equifax. 

Upon disputing the inquiry with Equifax, my expectation was that Equifax would take the time to contact the Credit Issuer and put the burden on them to prove this inquiry was one I initiated and authorized. To my surprise, I submitted the dispute at XXXX one day, and XXXX next morning the results were in, stating that after their " investigation '', it was determined the inquiry was factual, legit. First, I have no idea how they got that investigated in such short time, it seems to be auto-generated results. Second, if the Credit Issuer has NO RECORDS of my Social Security, NO records of my address, my phone number, my drivers license, different email, absolutely nothing associated, how can they investigation had prove the legitimacy of this inquiry. The only way the Credit IssueXXXX was able to find the order that caused the inquiry was using First & Last Name, zipcode, date of order. 

I've reached out several ocassions to Equifax and always get the same standard answers. Saying the investigation was done, inquiry stays on for 2 years, and even if I submit new disputes it will give the same results. The only other options they give me is to file an FTC Identity Theft complaint and Police Report stating this inquiry was done using my stolen identify. This issue with this is : this might NOT be a case of ID Theft, but a cause by failures in Equifax 's systems & processes. How could Equifax permit an inquiry on my credit report when the Credit Issuer was NOT provided any of my ID identifiers such as Social Security, Drivers Lic, Primary Address, Email, Phone Number. Equifax should've not let the Credit Issuer gain access to my credit report without providing additional information. Not only that, but I had placed a FRAUD ALERT last XX/XX/XXXX on my Equifax and other bureaus, and yet Equifax permitted access to my credit without any notice, without requiring the Credit Issuer additional ID verification or a call to the cell phone on file to verify ID. To top it all off, even though Equifax failed to safeguard my credit, I should be able to rely on the dispute process. But then Equifax seems to have not dedicated any time or resources to complete a thorough investigation into the inquiry, which undoubtedly would have proven the inquiry is not mine and should've resulted in the immediate removal of the inquiry from my credit report. 

I expressed these same complaints to numerous Equifax agents. This is not the 1st time Equifax permits access to my credit file to issuers by only matching ( 1 ) First & Last Name ( 2 ) Same State, but no social security was provided, nor any other info related to me. Equifax should be held accountable permitting any issuer to easily access my credit file with just a matching name and city and/or state. Equifax should also be held accountable for failing to perform a thorough investigation when a consumer submits a dispute.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation