Consumer complaint received 2024-10-27
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company: EQUIFAX, INC. (TX)

I am filing this complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) regarding XXXX inadequate response to my identity theft report and its failure to remove fraudulent items from my credit report. Despite my notification to Equifax that these accounts and inquiries were not authorized by me, Equifax has left certain items unremoved, claiming them as verified, which raises significant concerns over the adequacy of their investigation. This response violates XXXX obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) to ensure fair and accurate reporting, particularly in cases of identity theft. 

Key Issues with XXXX XXXX to Remove Fraudulent Items Failure to Remove Verified Accounts Despite Evidence of Fraud Equifax has marked fraudulent accounts from XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, and XXXX as verified, refusing to remove them from my report. These accounts were opened by an identity thief, and I have provided ample information to demonstrate they do not belong to me. XXXX failure to verify ownership thoroughly before marking these accounts as legitimate is a clear violation of FCRAs requirements for an accurate and reasonable investigation. 

Refusal to Delete Unauthorized Inquiries Despite my documentation that these inquiries were unauthorized, Equifax retained several inquiries, including those from XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX, on the basis of verification. These inquiries directly relate to the fraudulent accounts I reported and should be removed. By failing to delete these inquiries, Equifax demonstrates a lack of commitment to upholding consumer protections and disregards the impact that unauthorized inquiries can have on my credit profile. 

Dismissal of Non-reporting Disputes Without Verification Equifax marked several disputed items as not currently reporting, including trades, inquiries, and employment records related to the identity theft incident. These records, though temporarily removed, could reappear in future reports. By neglecting to fully investigate these items origins and validity, Equifax leaves me vulnerable to further credit issues and fails to meet FCRA requirements to ensure data accuracy and reliability for consumers. 

Generalized Response to Inquiries with No Effort to Confirm Legitimacy Equifax provided a generic response regarding inquiries without verifying whether any creditor was contacted to assess their legitimacy. In cases of identity theft, a standard explanation on inquiry retention fails to address the fraudulent nature of these entries, thereby neglecting the consumer protection obligations Equifax holds under the FCRA. 

Incomplete Investigation into Personal Information Discrepancies Equifax deleted various addresses and name variations in response to my dispute, but it has not verified how this erroneous information was added to my file. Given that this identifying information was used by the identity thief, XXXX failure to address the accuracy of personal data reflects a lack of thorough investigation. The indiscriminate deletion of information without validation underscores XXXX inadequate handling of identity theft cases.