Consumer complaint received 2022-01-27
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: MN
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:
XX/XX/XXXX- I received a notification through XXXX XXXX via email that I had a hard credit pull on my Equifax report. I created an online Equifax account and found this to be true. The company requesting the pull was listed as XXXX, based in Wisconsin. There is also a soft inquiry by XXXX as well. The XXXX brand is part of a family of brands under XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, also based in Wisconsin. I did not request a line of credit with this company and am not at all familiar with them. I determined this to be fraud. There is no such inquiry on my XXXX or XXXX reports. 

XX/XX/XXXX- I disputed the hard inquiry though Equifax online. I was notified late on XX/XX/XXXX that the dispute was closed and was not accepted, the inquiry was not removed. 

XX/XX/XXXX- I contacted Equifax by phone to ask about how to remedy the situation. They suggested I file a complaint with the FTC and contact XXXX to send Equifax a statement that there is no account in my name or under my social security number. I contacted XXXX and explained that it appeared that someone tried to open a line of credit under my name or social security number. I was forwarded to a customer service supervisor, who said she was unable to help me because I did not have an order number. I do not have an order number, since this account was opened fraudulently and I know nothing about any orders. After speaking to several employees of XXXX in various departments for over an hour, none of them could find a line of credit linked or an account linked to me. They stated that they could not help me and were not willing to submit a statement to Equifax explaining that an account in my name did not exist, even though this is exactly the case. They stated it " was against company policy '' to do so. I submitted another dispute for the hard inquiry through Equifax and it was again denied. I placed a freeze on my Equifax credit report account. I tried to call Equifax twice again to update them on the situation with XXXX and ask for further advice, but it was extremely difficult to finally get to a menu option to speak to a representative. When I did get to the option, I failed their automated security questions that were meant to be generated off my specific credit history. I answered these questions correctly, but they were odd and did not at all match my credit history. Either way, after answering two sets of several " security '' questions and being denied the opportunity to speak to a customer service representative, I gave up for the day because I had to work and continue on with my day. 

XX/XX/XXXX - I submitted another dispute through Equifax and submitted a CFPB report on XXXX. I will also consider placing freezes and fraud alerts on my XXXX and XXXX accounts, but am skeptical of the ease of removing the fraud alerts without having to place several phone calls. I would prefer to not make phone calls to customer service representatives to manage my credit report accounts, as I so far have not had a pleasant experience with Equifax. 

XX/XX/XXXX- I contacted my local police department, XXXX XXXX Police Department, in Minnesota. I have not yet heard back from an officer, but will be calling them this week again to file a police report. 

I have continued to submit a dispute online with Equifax every day since XX/XX/2022 and have received the same generic response letter that denies my dispute. The hard inquiry remains on my credit report. My next steps are to send Equifax this CFPB complaint and the police report, when it is complete. I believe that Equifax is not taking adequate steps to investigate the error on my report, as I myself called XXXX and they did not have any record of me having a line of credit there. Equifax has also not requested further information from me to prove my identity.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation