Consumer complaint received 2017-08-16
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: CT
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Complaint:
Subject : Equifax -7 Year Extended Fraud Alert not requested by consumer, No contact phone number for consumer, no pin or confirmation number for the alert, Equifax requests copies of Social Security Card, Drivers License, and Utility bill be faxed or mailed to them to prove your identity before they will remove it. ( Consumers Beware! Never send all these items together! ) I have been trying to create an on line account to check my social security information. I am being blocked from doing so based on a fraud alert from a credit agency. I got copies of all 3 credit reports on XX/XX/XXXX and discovered that Equifax placed the 7 year extended alert on my account, along with a promotional block. It states this right on the credit report first page. I had tried repeatedly calling the 3 bureaus, but XXXX and XXXX had no knowledge of a fraud alert. I finally got through to a live person at Equifax, on XX/XX/XXXX, who basically told me I had to mail copies of my drivers license, social security card, and a utility bill to them, or fax it there. Fax is not acceptable or secure means of transmission, and mail can be intercepted. I called Equifax several times and finally asked to be transferred to a supervisor who could assist me after verifying me over the phone. This supervisor claimed to have removed the 7 year extended fraud alert, and sent me a letter that states Equifax forwarded my fraud alert request to XXXX and XXXX. The Equifax confirmation number for the removal of the 7 year extended fraud alert is XXXX. Instead of removing the fraud alert from other agencies ( who never had one in the first place ), Equifax asked them to place a 7 year extended fraud alert on my account. I called today, XX/XX/XXXX, and I was able to get both XXXX and XXXX to remove this, and to confirm that it was only placed there by a credit reporting agency on XX/XX/XXXX. All agencies reported that there is a problem with the alert, because no contact information was provided for the consumer when the alert was placed. ( Note : I have a copy of the letter, but can not scan it to upload it here. ) I then called Equifax back and was told by the initial representative that the account still had a flag on it for fraud alert. She transferred me to the fraud department to get it removed. The representative there told me the 7 year alert was already removed. When I asked why there is still a flag on my account, he stated the other people can not see the information he has because they are in a different department and there is no flag. Then he argued with me and continued to state that the fraud alert had been removed. Finally he transferred me to a supervisor who claims he removed the flag also, confirmation number XXXX, and also the promotional block, confirmation number XXXX. He said that the fraud alert was already removed and that Equifax received the request for a 7 year extended fraud alert from XXXX. I assume this is because each credit reporting agency reports fraud alerts to all others, but XXXX is not the agency who requested it. Equifax reported a fraud alert request to the other two agencies, who reported back to Equifax and it seems the fraud flag may have  been re-added on XXXX XXXX, rather than removed. Equifax also has no record of a confirmation number for the placement of the original alert, only for my removal request. Equifax supervisor also informed me that the consumer is always notified, and that a fraud alert goes on the account any time I dispute any information on my account, such as an incorrect address ( resulting from errors by a utility company ), or dispute of the actual validity of charges that do actually belong to my account ( not fraud, just improper billing ). The only notification I received was to request my own credit report, where Equifax lists this on the first page. No other notice was given. The supervisor stated that it was my fault that I did not check my information, and that 's why it is important to read my whole credit report. He then tried to place the blame for the original fraud alert on XXXX, who has no record of this prior to XX/XX/XXXX when Equifax did this. I then called the number for the FTC and was instructed to call Consumer Finance, where I was instructed to file a report online. Before completing this report, I searched the record of existing complaints and discovered multiple complaints regarding Equifax placing these extended fraud alerts, without the consumer 's permission, without sending any notification to the individual, and without adding a phone number to those alerts for the consumer to be contacted in case of legitimate use of their credit information. Given the large number of similar complaints, I am asking that Equifax be investigated. Perhaps employees are trying to get copies of documents and that 's why these alerts are being placed. Or perhaps they just want people to freak out and purchase credit protection services, when there is no real reason for a fraud alert. In either case, malicious insider, or fraudulent sales tactics, this can be considered a crime. Please take this seriously. Search your own database and see the number of complaints. That extended alert could stay for years and go unnoticed if you do n't need to use your credit report for anything. The practice of sending all that documentation via mail or fax should also be stopped. If a medical doctor sends information out, it can not have social security number on it, so why is Equifax expecting consumers to send actual copies of social security cards through the mail or by fax, not only the SSN, but combined with a photo id or drivers license and a utility bill, the employees, or any individual to intercept that, could assume the identity of that person. Its foolish to do so, yet consumers do this regularly because they are desperate enough to get access to their own information.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation