Consumer complaint received 2019-02-11
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NJ
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX I was a victim of identity theft. I immediately called the creditors, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, to have the account closed. I followed up by taking precautions so it does not happen again. After numerous issues, I had also filed a police report. The creditor had finished their investigation of the issue on XX/XX/XXXX determining this credit card was opened fraudulently and said they will be sending a letter to Equifax for the inquiry to be removed from my credit report. At this point, the inquiry still had not been removed and I filed a dispute. The results of the dispute said they found the inquiry to be factual. As a result I called Equifax and told them this was a fraudulent activity and they told me I needed me to send them a cover letter and include all my documentation proving this was fraud. The next day I faxed the cover letter, police report, and the letter XXXX XXXX sent me indicating the credit card inquiry was fraudulent. Once they received this information they began a reinvestigation which concluded on XX/XX/XXXX. They said as a result of their reinvestigation, they have closed the account. However, the account they are referring too was an old account I had that I personally closed on XX/XX/XXXX. They did not remove the inquiry made on XX/XX/XXXX which was the whole purpose of the reinvestigation, which I had outlined for them in the cover letter I faxed them. 

I had called them back after all of this and they told me that I have to have the creditor reach out to them and they will remove the inquiry. I told them that they should have received the letter since I received mine. However they were not budging and refused to take the inquiry off unless they get notification from XXXX XXXX, even though I had all the documentation proving it was a fraudulent inquiry. At this point, I am very frustrated as I have called them 8 times regarding this and every time I speak to someone I am told to do something different. 

I then called XXXX XXXX Security Operations who sent them an Immediate Emergency Credit Deletion Request on XX/XX/XXXX. I was told it can take 24-48 hours for them to receive this information. On XX/XX/XXXX, a little over a week later, I called back Equifax to see if they have received the notification, and once again they did not. At this point, I called XXXX XXXX Security Operations again and they told me they will submit another request, but it should have been received by Equifax already. If they do not receive it in another week or so there isn't anything else they can do but send yet another request. I am completely at my witts end with Equifax and their lack of customer service and complete incompetence with removing a simple inquiry that is clearly fraudulent. 

Not only are they making it very difficult for me to remove this inquiry It seems as though I have to tell them how to do their job since the woman I spoke with, XXXX, told me she could not find anything in my file or tell me anything about it because there is nothing there, I told her, since I have spoken to many representatives and supervisors, that she is able to look into my file and see the documentation I provided, which she later did. She also had the nerve to tell me the police report did not document the inquiry, which in fact it did and they told me it was not a valid report because it was not hard stamped with a seal. It is incredibly frustrating when there is a company such as Equifax that handles very important information and they cant even do a simple job correctly. I am hoping you can offer any assistance in this matter because I can not keep fighting with them much longer. 

I am attaching the letter from the creditor that had been sent to me, the police report, and the cover letter I faxed them. I am also attaching screenshots, one showing the results of the most recent reinvestigation and the other showing the inquiry still listed on my credit report.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation