Consumer complaint received 2023-07-10
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NV
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Unable to get your credit report or credit score
Sub-issue: Problem getting your free annual credit report

Complaint:
I am an identity theft victim. The three major credit bureaus should have plenty of official documentation substantiating that fact. For the past 3 years EQUIFAX and XXXX have made it impossible for me to monitor my report for errors or fraud and have refused to correct major fraudulent accounts that are backed by police reports and ID Theft Reports. 

They continue to come up with new ways to block my reports and their agents will never tell me anything about why my reports are as they say inaccessible or non-existent. I know they exist. I understand the ID theft can make it more difficult but it really is as if they just would rather not deal with it then take the time to assist me. 

They seemingly do whatever they can to block me from viewing my report and it has been this way for the past two years. They always claim a a team is aware of the issue and is on it, or I can not tell disclose any information for the protection of the file. Thats all well and good but I am person of which the file is made and I have the right to know whats on my credit report. After I tell them that, assuming I am not hung up on and this is my 10th attempt.. they will brush me off and tell me I must mail in every piece of identifying information I have. Which, despite the fact that puts me at even more risk for the type of id theft I am trying to address, will allow me to access my report maybe one time before it is blocked again and they are telling me I have to resend my identification again. 

I had to contact the CFPB 2 years ago about a XXXX  and XXXX XXXX, XXXX and XXXX Credit accounts that were opened or run up fraudulently in my name remaining on my report despite Police Reports and ID Theft reports being sent in by all methods they accepts multiple times. Three years later these accounts that I had to fight so hard to have removed- and was successful, have now been readied to my reports by way of debt collectors and they are rife with erroneous information that on its own, should be enough to have them removed from my file. 

Additionally for about XXXX years after the CFPB intervened which led to the accounts being permanently blocked from report my reports and had XXXX XXXX and XXXX corporate notifying me by mail that they had removed or reset the fraudulent accounts and that I would not be responsible for it.. I was finally able to breath thinking that their was finally a real way to hold the CRAs accountable and get them to finally do the right thing. A short time later I discovered, however, after being repeatedly hung up on and refused information that for taking my complaint to the CFPB I had been blacklisted. My report had been placed in a departments like Equifaxs Special Handling department that made it so 98 % of the company could not help me or even open my report. That department was always closed or unreachable. 

I found out that these type of departments are where your report ends up if you get the agencies like the CFPB involved. From what I understand the department is comprised of lawyers who ensure they shut you down while taking advantage of every loophole they legally can. It was quite frustrating. Somehow, a year and a half later, I made enough of a stink to get off of that list ( I think ) but ever since my report is either unavailable to me or there is some issue with it that makes it so no service can pull it, not even annual credit report. 50 calls and letters later they would add my ability to review it back and then a couple days later take it away again for months. I still can not dispute online, place a freeze online or do anything someone with active ID theft should be able to do to protect themselves and information immediately. 

I even have their highest tier paid subscription and it still never works. None of their customer services reps will help at all in providing any sort of resolution to these issues. 

My most recent issue and reason for this complaint is my repeated issues with accessing my report and the fact I have now have had two opportunities for credit that I have applied for be blocked. These companies were not even able to obtain a copy of my report. XXXX and other like services can not pull them either as I pay for their services and this feature, I should be able to have it pulled through them just like everyone else can. 

When I called Equifax repeatedly, I continue to get different stories. The latest is that my report is blocked in some way that I have never heard of before and no one there can seem to remove it. Now I cant view my own report, nor can potential lenders and my identity can not be verified.. which has become a very big problem for me and has already cost me both time, money and comfort. 

I want my report accessible like everyone else and for them to recognize my identity theft I am an identity theft victim. The three major credit bureaus should have plenty of official documentation substantiating that fact. For the past 3 years EQUIFAX and XXXX have made it impossible for me to monitor my report for errors or fraud and have refused to correct major fraudulent accounts that are backed by police reports and ID Theft Reports. 

They continue to come up with new ways to block my reports and their agents will never tell me anything about why my reports are as they say inaccessible or non-existent. I know they exist. I understand the ID theft can make it more difficult but it really is as if they just would rather not deal with it then take the time to assist me. 

They seemingly do whatever they can to block me from viewing my report and it has been this way for the past two years. They always claim a a team is aware of the issue and is on it, or I can not tell disclose any information for the protection of the file. Thats all well and good but I am person of which the file is made and I have the right to know whats on my credit report. After I tell them that, assuming I am not hung up on and this is my 10th attempt.. they will brush me off and tell me I must mail in every piece of identifying information I have. Which, despite the fact that puts me at even more risk for the type of id theft I am trying to address, will allow me to access my report maybe one time before it is blocked again and they are telling me I have to resend my identification again. 

I had to contact the CFPB 2 years ago about a XXXX  and XXXX XXXX, XXXX and XXXX Credit accounts that were opened or run up fraudulently in my name remaining on my report despite Police Reports and ID Theft reports being sent in by all methods they accepts multiple times. Three years later these accounts that I had to fight so hard to have removed- and was successful, have now been readied to my reports by way of debt collectors and they are rife with erroneous information that on its own, should be enough to have them removed from my file. 

Additionally for about two years after the CFPB intervened which led to the accounts being permanently blocked from report my reports and had XXXX XXXX and XXXX corporate notifying me by mail that they had removed or reset the fraudulent accounts and that I would not be responsible for it.. I was finally able to breath thinking that their was finally a real way to hold the CRAs accountable and get them to finally do the right thing. A short time later I discovered, however, after being repeatedly hung up on and refused information that for taking my complaint to the CFPB I had been blacklisted. My report had been placed in a departments like Equifaxs Special Handling department that made it so 98 % of the company could not help me or even open my report. That department was always closed or unreachable. 

I found out that these type of departments are where your report ends up if you get the agencies like the CFPB involved. From what I understand the department is comprised of lawyers who ensure they shut you down while taking advantage of every loophole they legally can. It was quite frustrating. Somehow, a year and a half later, I made enough of a stink to get off of that list ( I think ) but ever since my report is either unavailable to me or there is some issue with it that makes it so no service can pull it, not even annual credit report. 50 calls and letters later they would add my ability to review it back and then a couple days later take it away again for months. I still can not dispute online, place a freeze online or do anything someone with active ID theft should be able to do to protect themselves and information immediately. 

I even have their highest tier paid subscription and it still never works. None of their customer services reps will help at all in providing any sort of resolution to these issues. 

My most recent issue and reason for this complaint is my repeated issues with accessing my report and the fact I have now have had two opportunities for credit that I have applied for be blocked. These companies were not even able to obtain a copy of my report. XXXX and other like services can not pull them either as I pay for their services and this feature, I should be able to have it pulled through them just like everyone else can. 

When I called Equifax repeatedly, I continue to get different stories. The latest is that my report is blocked in some way that I have never heard of before and no one there can seem to remove it. Now I cant view my own report, nor can potential lenders and my identity can not be verified.. which has become a very big problem for me and has already cost me both time, money and comfort. 

Thank You.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief