Consumer complaint received 2019-05-14
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: TX
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report
Sub-issue: Credit inquiries on your report that you don't recognize

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX, of 2019, I was notified through a 3rd party credit monitoring company, XXXX XXXX of a new hard inquiry posted on my credit report with Equifax. This inquiry was in the name of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX of which I was not familiar with. As there was no number listed, I googled and discovered that the company exists in South Texas and has business in XXXX, TX. I currently live in XXXX, TX and during that time frame had been in Colorado visiting family, no where close to where the company was. I became immediately concerned and upon returning home to XXXX on Friday, XX/XX/XXXX went to Equifax 's website to file a dispute on the inquiry for what I thought to be an incorrect entry and even possible fraud. I followed this up later that evening by researching and initiating a security lock on my credit account with them. 

I phoned Equifax Saturday, XX/XX/XXXX to try and get more information as far as whether I should be concerned for fraud and per their representative there would be no other way an inquiry could be generated and their advice was to proceed with the lock and get in contact with the company XXXX XXXX XXXX to have the inquiry removed. I proceeded that day to initiate security locks on the other agencies, XXXX and XXXX for the possibility of fraud. 

This morning XX/XX/XXXX, I received notification that my dispute from XX/XX/XXXX had been completed and the inquiry removal was denied. I during the past few days had been trying to phone XXXX XXXX XXXX and left messages without success. Fortunately today I was able to speak with someone from their finance department who graciously looked up credit activity on XXXX for me. What he found was that a inquiry was generated by them for a man with my same first and last name and last 4 of his social that nearly matches mine but differs by 1 number. He assured me that he did not believe this was fraud but that due to our same name and similar social security numbers, perhaps our credit files were mixed and that gentleman 's request accidentally pulled my credit file. Nothing on the computer for XXXX XXXX XXXX had any of my personal information as far as the other client 's address and date of birth ( which differ from mine ). Their recommendation was to call Equifax again and try to get them to correct what appeared to be a system error. 

I just got off the phone with Equifax to update them of my findings but was unable to get any leverage on my particular circumstance. I spoke with a representative who told me that she could not see any details on the credit inquiry and that I would need to have XXXX XXXX XXXX do an investigation to see about removing the entry. I pleaded that I had spoken with them and ascertained the above details however she insisted that nothing could be done on their end. I asked to speak to a supervisor who additionally stated that I am welcome to ask they reconsider my failed dispute that was denied but again at their level they could not change anything. During our conversations, I was referred by the wrong name ( suffix ) and the supervisor had no idea that I had already locked my account as a security measure in offering the option of a freeze. How is it that my personal information, for which I have to go through excessive measures ( either by 3rd party companies or a once a year free report ) to get access to, is in the hands of  people who readily confuse it? 

My frustration at this moment is that I don't know what next step to take to ensure that my credit file, for which they apparently are entrusted and for which I have no control over, is accurate and that this mix up is rectified. My main concern is that even though I have locked my credit file, I don't know the extent of the mixed information or if the other person with my name proceeded with the loan offer if it would fall on me? I work nearly 80 hours at times per week as a XXXX XXXX   providing for my family of 3 and don't have an abundance of time to continue calling Equifax to ask that they correct an error in a system that I have limited ( arguably no ) access to.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation