Consumer complaint received 2023-12-14
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: PA
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report
Sub-issue: Reporting company used your report improperly

Complaint:
To the CFPB : 15 USC 6805 Enforcement. ( a ) In general Subject to subtitle B of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 [ 12 U.S.C. 5511 et seq. ], this subchapter and the regulations prescribed thereunder shall be enforced by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, the Federal functional regulators, the State insurance authorities, and the Federal Trade Commission with respect to financial institutions and other persons subject to their jurisdiction under applicable law, ALL ACCOUNTS ARE IN VIOLATION OF THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 ( 5 U.S.C subsection 552a ) Important Definitions ( 4 ) the term record means any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by an agency, including, but not limited to, his education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and that contains his name, or the identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual, such as a finger or voice print or a photograph ; This includes consumer reports. 
( b ) Conditions of Disclosure. No agency shall disclose any record which is contained in a system of records by any means of communication to any person, or to another agency, except pursuant to a written request by, or with the prior written consent of, the individual to whom the record pertains, unless disclosure of the record would be ( 12 ) to a consumer reporting agency in accordance with section 3711 ( e ) of title 31. 
They need prior written instruction of the individual to whom it relates. 
Section 3711 ( e ) of title 31 States ( 1 ) When trying to collect a claim of the Government under a law except the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 ( 26 U.S.C. 1 et seq. ), the head of an executive, judicial, or legislative agency shall disclose to a consumer reporting agency information from a system of records that a person is responsible for a claim if ( E ) the head of the agency has established procedures to ( iii ) get satisfactory assurances from each consumer reporting agency that the agency is complying with all laws of the United States related to providing consumer credit information. 

Accounts that are reporting as Charge offs. 
Charge offs are consider certificates of indebtness and 1099-C are filed. 
According to the IRS Publication 4681 ( 2022 ) Canceled Debts, Foreclosures, Repossessions and Abandonments. 
Under introduction it states : Generally, if you owe a debt to someone else and they cancel or forgive that debt for less than its full amount, you are treated for income tax purposes as having income and may have to pay tax on this income. Also, under General Rule it states : Generally, if a debt for which you are personally liable is forgiven or discharged for less than the full amount owed, the debt is considered canceled in whatever amount it remained unpaid. Generally, you must include the canceled debt in your income. A debt includes any indebtedness : For which you are liable, or Subject to which you hold property. Per the IRS, charge offs are considered income and income can not be reported on my credit report. They MUST be REMOVED! 
Diversified Adjustments is reporting the following XXXX  charge off and Equifax Charge off XXXX XXXX is reporting the following XXXX charge off and XXXX  Charge off These are the accounts that are in violation of 15 USC 1681 ( a ) Accuracy and fairness of credit reporting The Congress makes the following findings : ( 1 ) The banking system is dependent upon fair and accurate credit reporting. Inaccurate credit reports directly impair the efficiency of the banking system, and unfair credit reporting methods undermine the public confidence which is essential to the continued functioning of the banking system. 
( 3 ) Consumer reporting agencies have assumed a vital role in assembling and evaluating consumer credit and other information on consumers. 
( 4 ) There is a need to insure that consumer reporting agencies exercise their grave responsibilities with fairness, impartiality, and a respect for the consumers right to privacy. 

XXXX XXXX is reporting the following XXXX open date XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX open date XX/XX/XXXX XXXX is reporting the following XXXX open date XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX open date XX/XX/XXXX and Equifax open date XX/XX/XXXX These same accounts such as : XXXX, XXXXXXXX XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX XXXX are in violation of the following 15 USC subsection 6802 Obligation with respect to disclosures of personal information. 
( a ) Notice requirements- Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, a financial institution may not, directly or through any affiliate, disclose to a nonaffiliated third party any nonpublic personal information, unless such financial institution provides or has provided to the consumer a notice that complies with section 6803 of this title. 
( b ) Opt Out ( 1 ) In general A financial institution may not disclose nonpublic personal information to a nonaffiliated third party unless ( a ) such financial institution clearly and conspicuously discloses to the consumer, in writing or in electronic form or other form permitted by the regulations prescribed under section 6804 of this title, that such information may be disclosed to such third party ; ( b ) the consumer is given the opportunity, before the time that such information is initially disclosed, to direct that such information not be disclosed to such third party ; and the consumer is given an explanation of how the consumer can exercise that nondisclosure option 16 CFR 313.1 Purpose. This part governs the treatment of nonpublic personal information about consumers by the financial institutions listed in paragraph ( b ) of this section. This part : ( 1 ) Requires a financial institution in specified circumstances to provide notice to customers about its privacy policies and practices ; ( 2 ) Describes the conditions under which a financial institution may disclose nonpublic personal information about consumers to nonaffiliated third parties ; and ( 3 ) Provides a method for consumers to prevent a financial institution from disclosing that information to most nonaffiliated third parties by opting out of that disclosure, subject to the exceptions in 313.13, 313.14, and 313.15. 
16 CFR 314- Standards for safeguarding customer information. Also see 15 USC 6801 ( b ) 6805 ( b ) ( 2 ) I have not given XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX XXXX permission to furnish my information to third parties and I was not given notice of such furnishings. 

15 USC subsection 1681bXXXX Permissible purpose of consumer reports. 
( a ) In general Subject to subsection ( c ), any consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report under the following circumstances and no other : ( 1 ) In response to the order of a court having jurisdiction to issue such an order, a subpoena issued in connection with proceedings before a Federal grand jury, or a subpoena issued in accordance with section 5318 of title 31 or section 3486 of title 18. 
( 2 ) In accordance with the written instructions of the consumer to whom it relates. 

AGAIN, I DID NOT GIVE WRITTEN CONSENT TO FURNISH ANY OF THE ABOVE ACCOUNTS ON MY CREDIT REPORT. 

15 USC subsection 1681c- Requirements relating to information contained in consumer report. 
( 5 ) Any other adverse item of information, other than records of convictions of crimes which antedates the report by more than seven year. 

WITH THE EXPECTIONS OF CONVICTION OF CRIMES, NOTHING SHOULD BE FURNISHED ON MY CREDIT REPORT. 

15 U.S. Code 1681e - Compliance procedures ( a ) Identity and purposes of credit users Every consumer reporting agency shall maintain reasonable procedures designed to avoid violations of section 1681c of this title and to limit the furnishing of consumer reports to the purposes listed under section 1681b of this title. These procedures shall require that prospective users of the information identify themselves, certify the purposes for which the information is sought, and certify that the information will be used for no other purpose. Every consumer reporting agency shall make a reasonable effort to verify the identity of a new prospective user and the uses certified by such prospective user prior to furnishing such user a consumer report. No consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report to any person if it has reasonable grounds for believing that the consumer report will not be used for a purpose listed in section 1681b of this title. 
( b ) Accuracy of report Whenever a consumer reporting agency prepares a consumer report it shall follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy of the information concerning the individual about whom the report relates. 
By violating section 1681b for permissible purpose and 1681c for information contained in consumer reports they are also violating compliance procedures under this title. 
15 U.S. Code 1681n - Civil liability for willful noncompliance ( a ) In general Any person who willfully fails to comply with any requirement imposed under this subchapter with respect to any consumer is liable to that consumer in an amount equal to the sum of ( A ) any actual damages sustained by the consumer as a result of the failure or damages of not less than {$100.00} and not more than {$1000.00} ; or ( B ) in the case of liability of a natural person for obtaining a consumer report under false pretenses or knowingly without a permissible purpose, actual damages sustained by the consumer as a result of the failure or {$1000.00}, whichever is greater ; 15 U.S. Code 1681s2 - Responsibilities of furnishers of information to consumer reporting agencies ( 1 ) Prohibition ( A ) Reporting information with actual knowledge of errors A person shall not furnish any information relating to a consumer to any consumer reporting agency if the person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the information is inaccurate. 
( B ) Reporting information after notice and confirmation of errors A person shall not furnish information relating to a consumer to any consumer reporting agency if ( i ) the person has been notified by the consumer, at the address specified by the person for such notices, that specific information is inaccurate; and ( ii ) the information is, in fact, inaccurate. 
As you can see, All the forementioned accounts must be removed from my credit report due to several violations.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief