Consumer complaint received 2023-07-21
Company: LEXISNEXIS
State: NC
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Other personal consumer report
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Information belongs to someone else

Complaint:
My issue with LexisNexis really started about ten years ago, when I received a letter from my car insurance provider. The letter was to inform me that my insurance premium was going to increase due to an accident. I had not had an accident so I called my insurance company, and was able to find out that the accident was actually a different person, her name was XXXX. This was the first time I heard the name XXXX and she is someone I have still never met or spoken to. Since this was so long ago I cant remember what I had to do but I did what the insurance company recommended and was told the issue had been corrected, so I didnt think any more about it until two years ago.
 In XXXX XXXX XXXX I applied for a credit card with XXXX and was denied. Since I have good credit that I check regularly and very little debt I was in shock, so I called the credit card company. They informed me it was because of the debit I have for a car I had bought in XXXX XXXX XXXX an Equity line and Mortgage on my house, etc. Since I have never owned a home and my car is paid off the credit card company recommended I call XXXX since that is where they pulled my credit report from. When speaking with XXXX they informed me that my credit report and XXXX credit report had been merged together.  Through this process with XXXX I was sent a copy of my full credit report and learned that XXXX and I have a lot of information in common. Both our first names are XXXX, our social security numbers are only one number different, we are both from XXXX, and we have the same birth date. After learning this XXXX  was able to correct my credit report right then with no issues. They sent me a new copy of my full credit report and I verified it was correct. So yet again I thought my issue of being linked to XXXX had been corrected. 
That was until I received a letter from my insurance company in late XXXX XXXX XXXX stating that my insurance was going up around XXXX a month due to an accident/violation shown as a Code Z any other moving traffic conviction not resulting in license suspension. I have not been pulled over let alone given a traffic ticket since XXXX so I knew it had to be another mix up with XXXX. The next day I called my insurance company to figure out what could be done to correct the mix up, and they told me it was for a lane violation and since I figured XXXX and I were crossed again I needed to go to the police department and file a police report. Once I had the police report I then needed to go to the DMV give them the police report, ask them to correct who had gotten the ticket in their system, and get a letter stating it was corrected to send to the insurance company. So the following day I took time off work and went to the police department. At the police department I was given a print out of my driving record showing that there are no traffic violations on my record, but they also couldnt file a police report since there was no crime. They could see where XXXX had gotten the lane violation ticket in XXXX on the date I told them, and since she had used her real name and ID, and had not given my name there is no crime and nothing they can do to help me. While still in the police departments parking lot I called LexisNexis at the number on the letter from the insurance company (XXXX. This is only an automated system to request a copy of your consumer report, but I did request a copy and waited for a letter telling me how to access my report. When I never received anything I requested a copy of my consumer report online again thinking I must have done something wrong the first time.
 On XXXX XXXX XXXX  I received a letter telling me that LexisNexis was unable to authenticate my identity. This letter had a different phone number (XXXX so I tried that number hoping to get a human that could help me. I was able to speak with a customer service rep but they refused to help me because they still couldnt verify my identity. I tried to explain the whole situation and that this is not the first time my information has been linked with this same person to please look at her information and mine and see that our social security numbers are only one number different. He refused to look at anything and just kept repeating that he couldnt talk to me. I even tried to ask very generic questions about LexisNexiss policy to know what I can do to fix this but he wouldnt even answer questions that had nothing to do with anyones personal information.  After not getting anywhere with him I tried to call again the next day hoping to get a different person that could help me. I spoke to a different man who told me that he still couldnt verify my identity but if would I sent a copy of my social security card to the email address XXXXXXXX  he could correct my report.  I told him that I was at work and dont carry my social security card around with me. After treating me like I was lying about not having the card with me and asking for it more than once I informed him that I dont carry it with me since that is a security risk but that once I got home I would send a copy and call back in the morning. I sent a picture of my social security card to the email address he told me and called back the next morning.
When I called back on XXXX I spoke to a different man who started by asking all the identifying questions and told me he could not verify my identity so he wouldnt talk to me. I got aggravated and let him know that I was told yesterday all I had to do was send a copy of my social security card and then XXXX  information and mine could be separated. I informed him that I sent a copy of the social security card like I was told to, and to please pull up the copy of the card so we can fix this. He did get the copy of the social security card and he was able to verify my identity for the moment. While my identity was verified I requested a copy of all reports LexisNexis has on me, and I requested to start a dispute that myself and XXXX not being the same person and that our social security numbers and other information, needs to be separated. He told me he would send me a copy of the report and that a dispute was started on XXXX. I am assuming that the person who requested I send a copy of my social security card started a dispute. He then told me that since this was an issue with the social security numbers that he would have to transfer me to the Public Records Department. Once I had been transferred the lady again asked the identifying questions but was now unable to verify my identity. I asked her repeatedly what had changed in the last 5 minutes that now made her unable to identify me since the gentleman I was just speaking to was able to verify my identity, but all she would say is that she cant talk to me since she cant verify my identity. I informed her that I was told all they needed was a copy of my social security card and it could be fixed and I have sent that so why cant this be corrected. She still wouldnt help me. I then asked how am I supposed to fix this if no one will talk to me, but the only answer I got was that she couldnt talk to me. I decided to wait to see if I would really get a copy of the report and see what else was incorrect then I would try to call again.
While I was waiting for a copy of my report I called the DMV to make sure that they couldnt see any violations on their system. A lady named XXXX  checked my record and didnt see anything; and after telling her the whole situation and giving her XXXX Social security number and personal information she was able to see that a lane violation in Virginia was on XXXXs record on the date I said. I was told it was obvious that we are not the same person, but she was unsure how to help me. She transferred me to the fraud department where I talked to a lady named XXXX. XXXX had to talk to her supervisor to see if she could even help me since there has been no fraud committed. After talking to her supervisor she was able to send me a letter stating that XXXX and XXXX are not the same person and that I have no violations on my record. I then sent a copy of this letter to my insurance company so their underwriters could reevaluate my policy. At this point I was already having to pay the extra premium every month for XXXX traffic violation.
A few days later I received a letter from LexisNexis. It was dated XXXX XXXX XXXX  and let me know that they couldnt verify my identity but they were starting the dispute, and they would not be providing me with any information about the dispute. The very next day I received two more letters from LexisNexis both were dated XXXX XXXX XXXX but one letter said they cant verify my identity and the other told me how to go online and get a copy of my report.  
I downloaded a copy of the report and was shocked when it was 74 pages. Looking at the different sections of the report I found that most of the information was incorrect. The ID records section has 120 records and only 33 are for me, and some of the information under my records in still incorrect since per the report I was born in XXXX XXXX XXXX & XXXX. The address records show 15 records and only 2 are mine. The phone records only show one phone number and it is not mine. Under education records there are 9 records and only 1 is mine. The property Deed Record has 1 record and it is not mine. The Property Assessor Record shows 9 records and none are mine. Insurance Policy Records show 6 records and 4 are mine. Automobile insurance claims show 4 records and 2 are mine. The department of driver services records section is harder for me to read but it looks like it shows 3 records and only 1 is mine. I also learned that not only was my information mixed with XXXX information but that LexisNexis has been sending not only my information but my familys insurance information out to places that I never gave them permission to. Since we live in the same household my familys insurance records show on my report including most of their drivers license numbers, type of vehicle they drive, their gender, birth date, auto insurance coverage details, and even the vin number for their vehicles.  The report also showed that the dispute was started, but it is only on the Department of driver services record for the lane violation ticket not the social security numbers and names being crossed as I had requested. Since they had started a dispute and I had read online that they have 30 days to complete their investigation in to the disputed information I waited 32 days before reaching back out to LexisNexis. While waiting I did put a fraud alert on my credit reports, and they were already frozen.
I called LexisNexis to check on the status of my dispute and was asked the identifying questions and told they couldnt verify my identity and wouldnt talk to me. I tried to explain that the reason they couldnt verify my identity is because their information is incorrect and LexisNexis has XXXX and myself listed as the same person and we are not the same person. They repeated that they wouldnt talk to me. I then asked could he please look at my file and XXXXs file and see that it is very obvious we are not the same person, and Im not asking for them to share any of her personal information. To be honest LexisNexis and XXXX had already given me ALL her personal information when they sent me a copy of my reports. If you look at the ID records section of the report every record that has XXXX shows the correct SS Number for me and that every record that shows XXXX name also shows her correct SS number, so it should be easy to see what happened. Even after giving him all that information he still wouldnt talk to me and transferred me to the Public Records Department since it is a Name and SS number issue. Once I was transferred she asked all the identifying questions again and said she couldnt verify my identity and to please repeat my SS number so she can verify she typed it correctly. I was completely frustrated and tired of fighting to get this fixed so I gave her XXXXs SS number but all my other information, and then she could verify my identity. Once she said she had verified me (using the wrong SS number) I told her that I need to dispute that SS number and the NameXXXX  is not my name and has never been my name. I also told her that the dispute that was started for the traffic violation was not what I asked to dispute. Even though the traffic violation is not mine I figured if I could get the SS number and name issue corrected that the traffic violation would be corrected as part of that also.   She then told me that she would no longer talk to me and she would not start my requested dispute to correct the SS number and name. I asked her how am I supposed to dispute the fact that the majority of this report is incorrect and not my information if no one will talk to me. I have sent a picture of my Social Security Card that I was told was the only thing needed to fix this and now no one will even start the correct dispute. I have been fighting this for a long time and I just want it fixed. All she would say is that she cant talk to me. No one at LexisNexis even asked for any documentation other than the Social security card that I sent, but I am also not comfortable sending them any other documentation since I know they have already been sending my personal information to Companies/people that I never gave them permission to. The companies they sent my information to are not companies that I have or have had business relationships with nor are they my employer so they have no legal reason to be sending them my information or my families information to these Companies/people. After all of this I am at a loss on what else to do to get this corrected without trying to change my own Social Security number and Name. I also worry about XXXX getting all of my personal information if she were to request a copy of her LexisNexis report. I know I will never use her personal information in anyway but since I have never met XXXX who can say what she would do with my personal information should LexisNexis send it to her.  I looked in to opting out of LexisNexis but it says they dont have to delete your information and I dont fit the requirements since this is really not a fraud issue and I cant get a police report. I could do a security freeze, but that would be if I could ever verify my identity for them to even do the freeze.  Since I cannot block LexisNexis from ever having/distributing my information again, all l I want is LexisNexis to correct its information and stop negatively effecting my life. This not only effects my insurance premium and if I get approved/denied for credit cards/loans, but it can also affect my employment since I work in the financial industry. I am in desperate need of help to get this fixed.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief