Consumer complaint received 2020-03-24
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: FL
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 found out a few accounts and inquiries which I have never had before and never applied. I am requesting to remove all of them from my credit report because personal information was stolen and used. Enclosed are the police reports, my DL and SSN. Please investigate and remove these accounts from my credit report or I will have to refer the matter to my attorney and take immediate legal action against you. The constant judgments awarded against you certainly demonstrate that courts are will not tolerate your bullying tactics.I have made a lawful request of you to verify a report about me in my credit files. I respectfully suggest that you complete your investigation within the time period allotted to you by law, and in the event that you are able to verify this report that you supply me with the name, company address and company phone number of the person having verified the report and a full and complete report on the method you used to perform your investigation as dictated in the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Except as otherwise provided in this section, a consumer reporting agency shall block the reporting of any information in the file of a consumer that the consumer identifies as information that resulted from an alleged identity theft, not later than 4 business days after the date of receipt by such agency of ( 1 ) appropriate proof of the identity of the consumer ; ( 2 ) a copy of an identity theft report ; ( 3 ) the identification of such information by the consumer ; and ( 4 ) a statement by the consumer that the information is not information relating to any transaction by the consumer. ( b ) Notification. A consumer reporting agency shall promptly notify the furnisher of information identified by the consumer under subsection ( a ) of this section ( 1 ) that the information may be a result of identity theft ; ( 2 ) that an identity theft report has been filed ; ( 3 ) that a block has been requested under this section ; and ( 4 ) of the effective dates of the block. ( c ) Authority to decline or rescind. ( 1 ) In general. A  consumer reporting agency may decline to block, or may rescind any block, of information relating to a consumer  under this section, if the consumer reporting agency reasonably determines that ( A ) the information was blocked in error or a block was requested by the consumer in error ; ( B ) the information was blocked, or a block was requested by the consumer, on the basis of a material misrepresentation of fact by the consumer relevant to the request to block ; or ( C ) the consumer obtained possession of goods, services, or money as a result of the blocked transaction or transactions. ( 2 ) Notification to consumer. If a block of information is declined or rescinded under this subsection, the affected consumer shall be notified promptly, in the same manner as consumers are notified of the reinsertion of information under section 1681i ( a ) ( 5 ) ( B ) of this title. ( 3 ) Significance of block. For purposes of this subsection, if a consumer reporting agency rescinds a block, the presence of information in the file of a consumer prior to the blocking of such information is not evidence of whether the consumer knew or should have known that the consumer obtained possession of any goods, services, or money as a result of the block. ( d ) Exception for resellers. ( 1 ) No reseller file. This section shall not apply to a consumer reporting agency, if the consumer reporting agency ( A ) is a reseller ; ( B ) is not, at the time of the request of the consumer under subsection ( a ) of this section, otherwise furnishing or reselling a consumer report concerning the information identified by the consumer ; and ( C ) informs the consumer, by any means, that the consumer may report the identity theft to the Bureau to obtain consumer information regarding identity theft. ( 2 ) Reseller with file. The sole obligation of the consumer reporting agency under this section, with regard to any request of a consumer under this section, shall be to block the consumer report maintained by the consumer reporting agency from any subsequent use, if ( A ) the consumer, in accordance with the provisions of subsection ( a ) of this section, identifies, to a consumer reporting agency, information in the file of the consumer that resulted from identity theft ; and ( B ) the consumer reporting agency is a reseller of the identified information. ( 3 ) Notice. In carrying out its obligation under paragraph ( 2 ), the reseller shall promptly provide a notice to the consumer of the decision to block the file. Such notice shall contain the name, address, and telephone number of each consumer reporting agency from which the consumer information was obtained for resale. ( e ) Exception for verification companies. The provisions of this section do not apply to a check services company, acting as such, which issues authorizations for the purpose of approving or processing negotiable instruments, electronic fund transfers, or similar methods of payments, except that, beginning 4 business days after receipt of information described in paragraphs ( 1 ) through ( 3 ) of subsection ( a ) of this section, a check services company shall not report to a national consumer reporting agency described in section 1681a ( p ) of this title, any information identified in the subject identity theft report as resulting from identity theft. ( f ) Access to blocked information by law enforcement agencies. No provision of this section shall be construed as requiring a consumer reporting agency to prevent a Federal, State, or local law enforcement agency from accessing blocked information in a consumer file to which the agency could otherwise obtain access under this subchapter. 


Company 's Response After careful review, we have determined your complaint includes a dispute of information appearing on your credit report ; therefore, we have forwarded your complaint to our consumer relations center for processing. Consumer Relations will enter your dispute into our system and review all information and any additional documentation you provide to determine next steps. We may also need to contact the data furnisher to verify the current status of the account. If the item has been disputed previously and verified as accurate, we will review any new information you are able to supply to determine whether we can take action. Within 30 days, we will close out your dispute and advise you of the results in writing. If after the completion of our investigation you have questions regarding the results, we encourage you to contact the creditor ( s ) directly. The business name, address, and, if available, telephone number of the source ( s ) of information contacted in connection with your dispute can be found in the Investigation Results document sent at the conclusion of your investigation.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation