Consumer complaint received 2022-03-13
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: CA
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:
I received an alert from my credit monitoring on XX/XX/22 that a derogatory mark had been added to my account and upon further investigation, it was linked to a XXXX 's store card, on which I was added as an " Authorized User '' ( per the credit reporting agency ). I called XXXX 's directly on XX/XX/22 and said I did not have a XXXX 's card and I would like to be removed immediately, and the XXXX XXXX rep informed me he could not remove me, that the primary account holder had to remove me ( whomever that may be, although I have my suspicions and a restraining order against who I think it may be ). I said that makes no sense, as it is on my credit report, so clearly my social was used and this should give me some autonomy about how and where this is used and for which applications. I asked to speak with a manager- they hung up the line. When I called back the next day on XX/XX/22, I was suddenly told I am now a " joint account holder '' and am therefore equally responsible for any derogatory remarks but I am now authorized to close the account. When I log into my XXXX profile now, I can SEE the credit card now as well as balances. Very suspicious, given I was just an authorized user the day prior with no standing to even remove myself from the account, despite it being fraudulently available. The XXXX 's representative who helped me this time said she " understood the situation '' and informed me of the following : 1 ) XXXX 's would remove the derogatory information from my credit report IF I paid off the balance in full ( balance read some {$150.00} or do ), 2 ) Once the balance had been paid off, I could close the account, 3 ) She would call me back Friday ( XX/XX/22 ) once the payment cleared to help me with the derogatory payment status being removed and account closure. I asked her to notate all of this on this XXXX 's account, which they found using my social security number. She said she did. 
No one called me back on Friday, as promised. I waited until the next week. Still nothing. I called back myself Friday ( XX/XX/22 ) and explained the entire situation again and was transferred to the " credit reporting '' department, where I was informed that everything I had been told was a lie. And there was nothing they could do to help me. I was shocked. XXXX 's convinced me to pay off a balance that was not mine to pay on an account that did not belong to me and should not have existed in my name because it was presented as the path of " least resistance '' to make the negative credit reporting go away, as I am on the market to buy a house and this really hurt my report and it came out of nowhere and is still FRAUDULENT. And they are refusing to take ANY responsibility for this. They wouldn't let me remove myself when I was wrongly added as an authorized user, then they seemingly elevated my account status to " joint '' in an effort to protect themselves from approving a fraudulent application on behalf of someone else, cementing in my ties to an account I do not have. Then they told me to pay it off so they could fix the credit reporting, AFTER which point I could close the account. All lies. All of it. From beginning to end. Now, I am waiting yet again to hear back from them. They are liars and are engaging in what I can only perceive as illegal activities at the behest of their corporate office.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation