Consumer complaint received 2022-11-19
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: CA
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report
Sub-issue: Reporting company used your report improperly

Complaint:
I am having multiple challenges with Experian. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, Experian permitted a criminal third party to open a fraudulent Experian account in my name and then use Experian 's tools to attempt to open credit cards and purchase Experian services in my name. This third party had acquired some of my personal information, possibly from the XXXX XXXX breach. However, they did not have all of my personal information required to set up an account and verify my identity. Experian should not have permitted them to do so. Why was a criminal third party, who did not possess the right information and would not have been able to properly verify my identiy, allowed to open a fraudulent Experian account in my name? 

I only learned of the situation on Sunday, XX/XX/XXXX, when my identity theft monitoring provider ( Aura ) notified me of potential fraudulent activity associated with Experian. Through XXXX 's service, and as a general safety precaution, my Experian credit report had been locked since XXXX XXXX. However, on XX/XX/XXXX, the criminal third party unlocked my credit report using the fraudulent Experian account and attempted to open four different credit cards in my name. Thanks to my service with Aura, all four attempts were blocked, and I successfully contacted the banks in question to explain the situation and clear my good name. 

On Monday XX/XX/XXXX, via Experian 's website, I attempted to reset the username and password of the fraudulent Experian account being used in my name. Experian 's system would not permit me to do, instead requiring me to verify my identity by replying to an email that they'd sent to the account 's current email address, which was set up and controlled by the criminal third party. After three attempts to manage the issue using their website, Experian locked me out of the portal entirely and directed me to call them. I did so but could not get through to a real person -- the phone number Experian provides publicly dumps you into a virtual assistant system, where you can not talk to a real person and there is no option for remediating fraud. An agent at XXXX had access to an unpublished Experian phone number, which I used to call Experian. An Experian agent advised me that the account in my name had been automatically locked by their system for XXXX hours due to the multiple login attempts, and that I should call back on Friday XX/XX/XXXX in order to address the fraud. When I asked what steps would be taken, the agent advised that the account would be permanently frozen, and that I would no longer have access to an Experian account. Given the outsized role that credit reporting agencies like Experian play in our lives, why would they allow the acts of a criminal third party to permanently deny me access to my credit report? 

Before I could call Experian back on Friday XX/XX/XXXX as directed, on Thursday XX/XX/XXXX the criminal third party regained access to the Experian account, again unlocked my credit report, and attempted to open yet another credit card in my name. I immediately re-locked my credit report via XXXX 's online tool. Over the next XXXX minutes, the criminal third party unlocked my credit report multiple times, I re-locked it via XXXX immediately after each instance, and XXXX helped me clear my name with the bank in question. Aura then attempted to connect me to Experian via phone, however Experian refused to speak with me in the presence of a third party, so XXXX transferred me to Experian 's fraud department. An agent in Experian 's fraud department claimed he could not help me and then transferred me to the membership department. An agent in the membership department subsequently claimed that he could not help me and then transferred me back to the fraud department. A second agent in the fraud department claimed that he could not help me because I did not know the answer to the " secret question '' that had been set up by the criminal third party. How could I possibly know the answer to that? At this point, I informed the fraud agent that I would contact the FBI and report the situation, including that Experian was refusing to help me address fraud being conducted in my name. The fraud agent then suddenly decided he was able to help me. He placed a full freeze on the Experian account, including another XXXX hour lock, and confirmed a new pin number for me. I was told to call back in XXXX hours and use the new pin to gain access to the account. 

On Monday XX/XX/XXXX, I called Experian 's fraud department as directed but was again transferred to the membership department. A membership agent, who oddly did not require my new pin, proceeded to walk me through the process of re-setting the username, password, and secret question associated with my account. I successfully gained access to the account. However, I remain skeptical that the criminal third party, if they so chose, would be blocked access to the same workflow I'd just completed, in order to regain access to the account and lock me out. 

Then, on Friday XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email alert from Experian that there was an issue billing my credit card for the Experian XXXX XXXX service. However, I never provided Experian with a credit card, nor did I sign up for any Experian services. I attempted to investigate the issue by logging into my account, however Experian had me locked out of my account until I provided a new credit card and paid the outstanding balance for the services I allegedly had purchased. I then called Experian and spoke to a membership agent who could not explain the situation. The agent confirmed the credit card on file for me was a XXXX ending in XXXX. I informed him that I do not have, nor have I ever had such a XXXX. The agent concluded that this card may have been provided by the criminal third party, who may also have purchased the services, and that he ( the agent ) would cancel the services subscription and expunge the XXXX from my account. Later that evening, I logged into my Experian account to verify the agents promises. To my dismay, I discovered that the fraudulent XXXX was still associated with my account and, furthermore, that I could not expunge it without providing Experian with another credit card. I provided the new credit in order to resolve the situation but do not understand why Experian could not expunge the fraudulent card or why they require a credit card from me at all. 

Then, today, XX/XX/XXXX, I received another email from Experian, this time stating that there was an issue billing my credit card for the Experian XXXX Basics service. Again, having never signed up for any paid Experian services, I logged on to the website to investigate. I learned that the Experian XXXX Basics is a free service that does not require a credit card. Why am I receiving notices from Experian that there are issues billing my credit card for services that I never solicited and that, in this specific case, do not require payment? I want Experian to stop sending me billing notices for services that I never solicited. 

Finally, during the course of attempting to resolve these many issues, I discovered that Experian had docked my XXXX score on XX/XX/XXXX by XXXX points because my total credit usage had reached 10 % due to a 5 % increase on my XXXX line of credit. That 5 % increase was due to car repairs. The other 5 % is mostly cost-of-living and the computer I am financing for work. It seems wholly unfair to dock my XXXX score so dramatically over such basic, normal expenses. I have a sterling credit history, and this comes as a real slap in the face after all the ridiculous trouble Experian put me through trying to resolve their failings regarding the fraud on my Experian account. Why is a company like Experian, which clearly has serious operational problems, permitted to judge credit holders with such impunity? I would like to object to Experian docking my XXXX score by such a large number.

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